THE notion that the Celtic shirt doesn’t shrink to fit inferior players is predicated on the notion that to succeed at the club, you have to embrace the winning mentality and the high standards that will be expected of you day-in, day-out.

Ange Postecoglou certainly understands that, and believes that his players do too. But the Celtic manager was suitably irked by the disappointing performance levels shown by his men over the two legs against Bodo/Glimt to remind them of the relentless pursuit for success they have to embrace if they are to achieve the goals still in front of them this season.

Postecoglou maintains that even if his line-up perhaps didn’t reflect it in the Arctic Circle, he wanted to win the UEFA Conference League. His team fell short, and by quite a way, and the manner of their showing against the Norwegian champions was enough for their manager to give them a gentle reminder of their responsibilities.

While proud of how far they have come to have a trophy in the cabinet and be sitting top of the Premiership, Postecoglou says that will count for nothing if they don’t now go and finish the job.

“They haven’t been the kind of group who have got ahead of themselves,” Postecoglou said. “I’d hate to think people think that way.

“They understand we still have a long way to go as a team and the one thing they have shown through that is resilience. We have had plenty of excuses not to be in the position that we are at this point of year.

“But as I keep saying, it’s a new group and a rebuild and there is a relentlessness around this club that you have to embrace.

“What’s happened in the past is not going to buy you grace if you fail in the next step. That’s just part of this club and that’s just what they have to get used to.

“Every week there is a challenge and every week there is an expectation. And there is nothing wrong with that. Just embrace it.

“I don’t think it’s a case of them thinking that they are ahead of ourselves in any way because they know they have a lot of challenges.

“It’s only hard if you haven’t experienced before or it’s a new experience. You can talk about it, but people forget there are a lot of guys who are young in terms of age and experience in this group.

“Until you live it, this is why I keep exposing these guys. It’s the only way they will embrace it and understand it. All of them have shown they want to do that, but it doesn’t stop.

"It doesn’t stop because last week was good or the week before was good, or they played well the game before or scored goals the game before.

“What’s important is what happens in the next game.”

That next game is against Hibernian at Easter Road tomorrow, a match which clearly took precedence over the salvation mission in Norway.

Before turning his attention to that crucial match though, Postecoglou allowed himself a moment of reflection not only on the two-leg defeat to Glimt, but on the European experience as a whole and what it has brought to his team’s development.

“When I look at our European campaign and even the two Midtjylland games which came early, I thought we showed more intent,”

“We were way too passive in two games against Bodo/Glimt and it’s disappointing because there was an opportunity to progress and we didn’t.

“That’s ultimately the level you have to be at all the time and you can’t drop below that or else you are not going to be successful.

“It’s not like I just expect us to perform well all of the time, but I think there are parts of the team that should be embedded into us to perform at certain levels and we just didn’t over the two games.

“That’s down to me. That’s my responsibility to make sure we address that because we want to be a team that does well in Europe, we want to make an impact whatever competition.

“When you look at it this year, we haven’t done that."

Postecoglou doesn't believe though that the disappointment of their European exit will be fuel for the game in Edinburgh, with his expectation being that his men approach every game with the same mind-set.

“I’d hate to think that’s what it takes for us to kick on," he said. "Not being successful. What should make you kick on is being successful.

“So it is not the message I am giving the players. This is not about being disappointed and getting a reaction.

“It’s about not being disappointed in the first place by making sure we play at the level that I expect.

“Thursday was a disappointing end to the [European] campaign. But moving to Sunday it would be the same, irrespective.

“They have to be [ready] because it is going to be a difficult game. The guys who didn’t play or start against Bodo/Glimt are going to have to make sure they are ready for it.”