It would be safe to say that Celtic failed to meet even minimum expectations in their recent match against VfB Stuttgart at home in the first leg of the play-off round in the Europa League. The game started with a section of the support throwing tennis balls onto the pitch as they continued to make their displeasure about the board be known. And it only went downhill from there.

Stuttgart took the lead in the 15th minute but Benjamin Nygren, who has been Celtic's most consistent threat going forward this season, found the equaliser six minutes later. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Hoops on the night, as the German side scored three unanswered goals and the first leg finished 4-1.

That means that the tie is as good as over. It is hard to imagine that this Celtic team is capable of going to Germany and overturning a three-goal deficit. Even Martin O'Neill might not be capable of pulling off such a feat in Europe.

One man who watched it unfold from the stands at Celtic Park was boyhood fan and Liverpool legend, Andy Robertson. His presence will further spark rumours of a summer return to Parkhead, with his contract at Anfield running out at the end of the season.

Robertson has fallen out of the picture at Liverpool in recent times and an exit feels inevitable. In fact, he was being linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the winter, but that failed to materialise.

In the past, Robertson had seemed open to the idea of a return to Celtic. According to This is Anfield, the Liverpool left-back had said: 

“I think it’s going to be quite hard, but I would love to be able to finish my career here.

“If I could keep my standards as high as that up to a James Milner type of age, then I would be quite happy with that and call that a day then.

“But I think I’ve always said I’d love to pull on a Celtic top and to play. I’ve obviously played for Dundee United, which I loved.

“But you never say never, you’re a long-time retired as they say.

“I want to play as long as I can, and if that’s finishing up in Scotland, or at one point going up to Scotland, then I would be open to it.

“But my ideal situation is probably finishing down – with hopefully a couple more trophies – at Liverpool.”

The ideal situation of him retiring at Liverpool looks unlikely to materialise now. But still just 31 years of age, Robertson could still play for a good while at Celtic, if he did make the move in the summer.

The issue is, Celtic already have Kieran Tierney. So, where would they fit in Robertson, who is quite a bit older than his Scottish national teammate? It would be impossible to provide enough playing time to both of them.

Unfortunately, it feels like the timing is not in Robertson's favour. That being said, never say never in football. A few years back, nobody could have predicted that Tierney would end up back at Celtic Park in his prime. Yet, here we are.

It is also believed that Robertson played his part in convincing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to make the move to Celtic recently.

Anyways, whether Robertson joins Celtic or not, that is a discussion for the future. Right now, the club have far bigger worries. One of them is the growing divide between the club management and the supporters, which was clearly visible in the Stuttgart game. One can only hope that it does not end up affecting the team, as they try to win back control of the title race.

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