The £30m Celtic masterstroke that might just spare board's blushes and save them carrying the Stone of Shame

This time last year Peter Lawwell pretty much apologised to the Celtic support for the club’s woeful transfer window.

Last January now looks like Supermarket Sweep compared to the one just wrapped up. Back then, the Hoops dithered until the deadline but still ended up with Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn.

This time? It’s not a sorry that’s required. It’s that Stone of Shame that Homer had to drag around starkers in the Simpsons. It’s done now. Brendan Rodgers has one hand tied behind his back for Bayern Munich but knows he’s got less than 18 months left at the club and there’s no point rattling any cages. He needs to figure out a way of rattling Bayern’s cage though without Kyogo Furuhashi or banned Daizen Maeda. Jota will help but the task in hand doesn’t half look ominous.

The wild and wacky final day of the group stage left Celtic with the option of being clubbed with a baseball bat or a cricket one. Real Madrid or Bayern. Some folk call these glamour clashes. Some folk could call those folk sadists.

The Celtic board seem happy to turn up, enjoy the schnitzel, take what’s coming, pocket the dosh and hope to see everyone back here next year. Rodgers will see it differently. He might be in a straitjacket but he’ll be trying to come up with a plan to bring down one of the true giants.

It’s no mean feat. Bayern can be got at but if they turn up it could get grizzly. Celtic got out of Aston Villa the other week with their dignity intact but it was touch and go at times.

There were heavy Dortmund vibes in spells in the Midlands. There are going to be behind-the-couch periods at Parkhead this week too and the backline will need to have composure. Like Villa though, Celtic will get chances. It’s a crying shame Maeda is snibbed.