Who was to blame? Ronny Deila or the Celtic directors?
It is a question the departing Celtic manager will ponder frequently in the coming weeks as he prepares for the not so long goodbye from Parkhead.
The announcement of his departure bears all the hallmarks of a man jumping before he was pushed. Few should blame him.
Sunday’s dire defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden was the straw which broke the camel’s back for the doubting Celtic support, but the struggle for the hearts and minds of the Hoops faithful was lost well before the weekend.
The Ronny Roars have been few and far between in a poor campaign which somehow still seems destined to end with the Scottish Premiership trophy remaining in the Parkhead boardroom.
In the east end of Glasgow the title was not a minimum requirement. It was taken for granted before a ball had been kicked.
It is only because the Dons have lost the last two away matches that Deila goes into the last five games of the campaign with a comfortable eight-point lead.
The Dons will regard this season as one which got away and a huge opportunity missed.
Cup competitions and European football would be Deila’s jury.
The 40-year-old knows he has failed, but can also argue the support from the boardroom was in-sufficient.
The manager can, with some justification, point to the fact his tenure has coincided with a period of downsizing at Parkhead.
He arrived at a club no longer investing to make the Champions League group stages, but hedging its bets and only investing once it was in the promised land.
It was the change of philosophy and lack of funds which drove Neil Lennon away in the summer of 2014 and prompted Roy Keane and David Moyes to shoo away advances.
It is also why the former Stromsgodset manager, who it should be remembered was being lined up to be Keane’s assistant, found himself being offered the chance to take on the manager’s position when Keane said no.
He was never going to turn it down.
Deila quickly discovered Scottish football is an unforgiving place for a manager of Celtic or Rangers and with the Gers nowhere to be seen the spotlight fell on him.
He was not cast in a favourable light.
Legia Warsaw thrashed his Hoops side 6-1 in a Champions League qualifier just eight weeks into his tenure, but a second chance was offered when the Poles were kicked out of the tournament for fielding an ineligible player.
A second chance against Maribor? Nope, they were beaten again. The Europa League offered scant consolation with the last 32 exit to Inter Milan a reminder of the Champions League nights of seasons gone by.
It did not get any better.
Malmo put paid to the Hoops’ Champions League hopes earlier this season before Celtic slithered out of the Europa League without a single win.
The murmurs had grown into a chorus of disapproval.
The miserable European campaign also brought the increasingly volatile relationship between the manager and Kris Commons to a head. Commons lambasted his manager following his withdrawal in the defeat to Molde and has been used sparingly since. Sunday against Rangers and Commons was kicking his heels.
For all the European disappointment, failure on the big stage could have been offset by domestic dominance, but it has not materialised. Deila will leave with a 25% success rate in winning Scottish cup silverware and that was the League Cup in 2015.
He has failed to win any of the three which have followed, losing in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup last season to Caley Thistle before suffering the same fate in the League Cup to Ross County in January.
Sunday’s loss to Rangers was the point of no return.
The re-energised, reborn rivals did not just beat the Hoops, they humiliated them with a composed and impressive display which is said to have left more than a few Celtic powerbrokers questing whether Deila is the man for the job.
It is not just European football or the cup competitions which have provided cause for concern – the Norwegian’s erratic hit or miss transfer policy was a bust.
The success of Jason Denayer, Craig Gordon and John Guidetti is dwarfed by the list of names of players whose mere mention is enough to bring Hoops supporters out in a cold sweat.
There’s Stefan Scepovic, Jo Inge Berget, Mubarek Wakaso, Aleksander Tonev, Michael Duffy, Logan Bailly, Saidy Janko, Tyler Blackett and Nadir Ciftci to name but a few while there are others who leave supporters scratching their heads in disbelief.
Colin Kazim-Richards has scored once, against East Kilbride, while nobody seems to know whether Carlton Cole is still a Celtic player. There’s been no sight of him for weeks.
Patrick Roberts and Erik Sviatchenko have shown signs of promise while Kristoffer Ajer is due to arrive in the summer.
The jury remains out on Gary Mackay-Steven while so little has been seen of Jozo Simunovic, Ryan Christie, Scott Allan, Dedryck Boyata and Stuart Armstrong that it is difficult to predict whether any of them will make the grade.
It’s a fair list of names, some talented and others who, to be polite, have failed to settle in Scotland. But all together, £14.2million of investment has not produced.
Deila has 17 midfielders in his squad but in Leigh Griffiths, possesses only one reliable forward.
Deila arrived in Scotland two years ago revered by his former club’s support but will depart next month reviled by those at his current club.
What is his legacy?
He leaves behind a club which will require work, and lots of it.
And money.
For all the players at his disposal, Deila has not been able to build a team.
Knitting one together will be a daunting task for his successor, especially with a returning Rangers and an ever-improving Aberdeen and Hearts hot on their heels.
A big job and not easy. Given the failure of an unknown quantity this time around expect a proven commodity to replace him.
Now there is no more margin for error.
