Chris Sutton calls Celtic flat-track bullies. How many Celtic fans would disagree with that depiction? Not many.

Thursday was yet another example of domestic football being a lousy barometer of Celtic's capacity to win - or even draw - games in Europe.

In the wake of the 7-1 trouncing of Hearts, some Celtic folk with desperately short memories rounded on a few commentators who were critical of Martin O'Neill, his players and this Celtic board following their losses to Rangers and their failures against LASK, Ferencvaros and Benfica.

As if beating up Hearts made it all better. The message, after the goal deluge, was 'what are you saying to it now?' The answer: Exactly as we were saying before.

O'Neill said on Thursday that there are still loads of points to play for - and there are. But it was a claim made from a position of serious weakness. Desperation, almost.

Even at their best in recent decades, Celtic have struggled awfully to win European games on the road. Right now, that looks way beyond them. Winning at home is too much for them these days, too.

So, yes, there are enough points on offer for Celtic to fight their way out of their Europa League dungeon and into the play-off, but in their current state it's more a philosophical thought than an attainable reality.

If you have lost three out of three, have scored three goals and have conceded nine, then banging on about points you might win down the line is an exercise in wishful thinking.

In the here and now, Celtic's standards are plummeting. That's on everybody.