With Bodo/Glimt’s win over Manchester City in the Champions League last night, Chris Sutton took to social media, with people quick to realise the undertones of his message bore a striking resemblance to Celtic.

The Norwegian side hadn’t played a competitive fixture in over a month before their memorable triumph over Pep Guardiola’s side. That was a draw against Borussia Dortmund.

The reason is that their league stops in November and begins again in March. So from here on out, they’ll be in European action.

They come from a town of around 55,000 people, smaller than Celtic Park, yet have a structure and model in place that has allowed them to record results against teams that dwarf their budget.

Their manager, Kjetil Knutsen, recently signed a new deal until 2029. The name will be familiar, given how many times he was linked with Celtic.

They did lose out on the league title last season, but their name continues to appear on the European stage. They reached the Europa League semi-final last season, where they were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur.

Chris Sutton was quick to praise their victory, but the message within rang true for Celtic fans.

He said:

“Bodo Glimt from a so called Farmers League school moneybags Manchester City from the all conquering Premier League. A great story with 9 of Bodo’s starting line up from Norway. A triumph of good coaching and a terrific structure. Bodo had a plan… other clubs should take note…”

Reading between the lines, it’s clear he’s referring to Celtic and their lack of ambition on the European front. The domestic success has been unprecedented, but the hierarchy has failed to use that as a foundation to build and compete in continental competitions.

What Bodo/Glimt have is a solid foundation and model that allows them to produce homegrown players consistently, with a manager who is backed in the market and sees no reason to move elsewhere.

Is that too tough an ask for a club like Celtic, with the resources they have at their disposal?

Supporters are aware of the struggles that the transfer market brings, especially when players arrive here, do well and are then sold for a hefty profit. But perhaps with a long-term model in place, academy players would see a reason to stay here and develop longer before making a move elsewhere.

We’re not expecting us to reach European semi-finals year on year, but it feels like that bit of magic around Celtic Park under the European lights has faded quickly. The Hoops have better finances than Bodo, but they’re failing to show it.

With a January transfer window that has, so far, seen us bring in one player, fans want to see the hierarchy show a shred of ambition and invest in the squad. That’s the short-term hopes, but the longer-term may feel like a stretch of the imagination at this current moment in time.