The thing about trebles is they aren’t supposed to happen this often.

When Brendan Rodgers’ side swept to invincibility on this same turf six years ago, there was the distinct feeling the bar had been raised by some distance. But even those Celtic fans who revelled in that historic day here would not have dared to dream that such occasions would become a near-annual event.

But as they basked in the Hampden sunshine yesterday, that was the blissful reality of a Celtic supporter.

The 2017 treble was a first in 16 years, and over three decades came and went before Martin O’Neill added to Jock Stein’s from 1969. These feats ought not to be the done thing, yet Celtic have managed to normalise something that is anything but.

In doing so, they have set a world record that less than a decade ago was miles out of reach. This eighth treble overtakes a total set by Rangers all the way back in 2003. Ange Postecoglou was managing Australia’s U20s the day that happened.

READ MORE: What Ange told the Celtic players amid Tottenham uncertainty

20 years he later he stood on the Hampden touchline as his players penned a new chapter in the history books. For a multitude of reasons, their status as world football’s most seasonally prolific hoarders of domestic silverware could stand unchallenged for some time.

The whole premise of cup football is supposed to ensure that the same thing does not reoccur over and over again, the idea being that there is simply too much randomness, too much scope for the unexpected across a series of one-off matches where anything, supposedly, can happen. A wonder-goal, a glaring error, a red card, even just an especially bad day at the office – the cup capacity for chaos ought to be too high for things to continue panning out in the same fashion.

The teams with the best players – and, these days, the most money - invariably win leagues. But even the super-heavyweights of European football do not sweep up every available piece of silverware with this relentless regularity. We are now up to five Celtic trebles in the last seven seasons, and it would be foolish to assume that this trend will fizzle out any time soon.

The double treble was hailed as once in generation, probably never to be bettered, but then came the third, then the fourth. There is now very much a precedent for the unprecedented.

The question for the rest of Scottish football is how it can be stopped? Is it even possible? The impact of Celtic operating in a financial universe light years away from the vast majority of domestic opponents requires acknowledgement, and it is a gap that will continue to grow the more time they spend in the Champions League.

That’s not to diminish what this succession of Celtic teams are achieving, however. The money gap has always been there, and it has almost always been vast, but it is an advantage which has not always been maximised to this extent. They and Rangers traditionally shared the trophies between them on a reasonably even keel, but that arrangement is becoming increasingly one-sided.

READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou refuses to commit future to Celtic after doing treble

So what has changed to make it so?

Perhaps there’s a psychological element outwith the laser-focus on breaking these marathon seasons into each 90 minute chunk, never looking beyond the next one or dwelling too long on the last. Those four clean sweeps on the bounce appear to have swift away the notion that trebles are something that comes along once every few decades. Celtic do not start their season with the mere ambition of winning the lot, it has become an expectation on par with any other.

The expectation that they would complete this one was greater than any other, considering the gulf in just about everything between themselves and Inverness. And, to be honest, even as they huffed and puffed their way through much of the first-half, at no point was there any great sense of jeopardy hanging over Hampden. It is another feature of this Celtic team that they rarely seem to land themselves in any significant danger. A few dodgy dead rubbers may just have created the illusion that they could be got at, but they hardly needed to advance beyond second gear.

In truth, the dominant talking point of the week was the continued ‘will he, won’t he’ swirling around Postecoglou and the temptation of Tottenham Hotspur. The game itself almost became a side show, and there was a routine feel to how it panned out.

That’s no intended slight on Inverness; the task facing them here was gargantuan, and far better resourced sides have toiled to get near Celtic on this venue, one they can realistically claim as their home away from home in the modern age of Scottish football. Inverness worked away manfully for the 38 minutes it took Kyogo Furuhashi to get a touch of the ball, the problem being there is no one better at providing maximum efficiency from minimum involvement. Efficient was Celtic’s performance in a nutshell.

Inverness’ late goal via Daniel MacKay, reducing the deficit set by Kyogo and Liel Abada, gave the national stadium a brief jolt away from simply watching the clock tick towards 90. But that renewed hope was all-too brief for the outnumbered contingent who had trekked down from the Highlands in hope, if not expectation.

Jota’s clincher ensured it was safe to keep the green and white ribbons on the trophy. Unless something changes drastically, there seems to be little point ever taking them off.