As understatements go, Ronny Deila’s assertion post match yesterday that Celtic losing to East Kilbride would have been ‘very hard’ is right up there with police chief Martin Brody claiming that a bigger boat was required when attempting to malky a Great White shark.

In all honesty, anything other than a victory in their William Hill Scottish Cup tie with the Lowland Leaguers would be more suited to a comparison with the Titanic if we are going down the movie blockbuster route of metaphors, with the Norwegian firmly at the helm.

There was never any chance of East Kilbride being the iceberg that sinks the Norwegian’s ship, though, let’s make that clear. A fact that to be honest did Deila more harm than good as he attempts to plot a smoother course after the choppiest of weeks for the Celtic manager.

Two defeats within a matter of days, a League Cup semi-final exit and their Ladbrokes Premiership lead being cut to mere goal difference, Celtic supporters calling for his head would have been demanding a satisfactory response in Lanarkshire yesterday.

The fact his team were never going to be in any real hot water ironically caused more questions than answers. It ultimately meant the Parkhead manager was on the proverbial hiding to nothing in his attempts to appease any dissenters in his support. With Celtic’s progression always going to be the final outcome, what winning margin would have done?

Talk of double figures was touted by some but there was fanciful given what was served up. Can you honestly say the Champions of Scotland, filled with internationalists and players with more silver than Long John’s family tree can be content with a 2-0 scoreline? In short, no. No matter how many shots you have or how much possession you hold, to come away with just two goals – both of which had to be scrappily turned in from corner kicks – is not good enough for a team that started off the season attempting to get into the Champions League. Not even close.

Even with 22 shots, only five of them managed to find their way on target.

Deila has spoken about progression within this Celtic team since he took over. You would agree that individually that may be the case for some of his lot. The rise of Leigh Griffiths from being frozen out and almost loaned away to being the prolific scorer we have seen this season tells you that the Norwegian has managed to bring the best out of the Scotland internationalist. Nir Bitton has also got even better, while Kieran Tierney has been given a chance.

However, there are plenty who have not followed this pattern. Anthony Stokes’ career went into freefall over the summer, James Forrest often flatters to deceive and Stefan Johansen has seen his form plummet through the floor this campaign, to name but a few.

His team selection at times can baffle. In such a tie yesterday, for example, one would have thought the creative force of Scott Allan, a player who has only been given 14 appearances – and just one start – should have been started as East Kilbride would invariably try and defend deep. Instead, he got a 21-minute cameo. Allan is just one signing that seems more bizarre as time goes on. Like Ryan Christie, it is difficult to see how they fit into the grand plan in areas of the park that are already well covered.

This time last season Celtic were in the middle of an eight-game winning street while still in both cup competitions, the Europa League knockout stages against Inter Milan and three points clear at the top of the Premiership with a game in hand. Now they are ahead domestically by goal difference, beating part-timers by fairly narrow margins, out of the League Cup with a whimper and banished from Europe before Christmas. Does this sound like progression to you?

Having said that, does Deila deserve the time to put things right? Probably. In the interests of balance it is only fair to remember that in that time he has also lost his key central defensive pairing of Jason Denayer and Virgil van Dijk – not to mention Adam Matthews and loan striker John Guidetti - while inspirational captain Scott Brown has been absent for so long this campaign that he has managed to grow himself a new haircut.

These are all mitigating circumstances that Deila could rightly point to, but he doesn’t. Instead the Celtic manager maintains that progress is being made, as he probably feels obliged to do, but there has been little to no evidence of it recently. Yesterday didn’t do much to help matters, even if his team are still afloat in the Scottish Cup. Arguably, they are going backwards.

In the end, winning the only remaining cup competition will not be what defines Deila’s season. If it is still going to be classed as a success, he doesn’t need me or anyone else to tell him that another league championship is a must, and come May we could very well see him parade one, maybe even two trophies around Parkhead.

However, the last week has shown where this Celtic team is, but, more importantly, how far they still have to go. With or without Deila.