Is Haissem Hassan Having A Laugh? Celtic’s £6m Winger Says Europe Hasn’t Been A Disappointment!
Bhoycie 
Sometimes you hear a Celtic player speak and genuinely wonder whether they’re watching the same football matches as the supporters.
Haissem Hassan has provided one of those moments.
Three Europa League matches. Three defeats. Nine goals conceded. Zero points. Celtic sitting 35th out of 36 clubs.
Yet the £6million winger has somehow reached the conclusion that Celtic’s European campaign hasn’t been a disappointment.
Is he having a laugh?
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Beşiktaş, Hassan insisted:
“I don’t think that the Europa League has been a disappointment.”
He added that Celtic have a good team and management, but the results have cost them.
Well, there’s the problem, Haissem. The results are precisely what make it a disappointment!
Perhaps Hassan Should Look At His Own Numbers
Hassan arrived from Real Oviedo with considerable expectations and a transfer fee reportedly exceeding £6million, potentially rising further through add-ons.
Celtic weren’t spending that sort of money for occasional flashes of ability.
They were investing in someone expected to make a genuine difference.
Instead, the winger has yet to score his first Celtic goal and has contributed just two assists across his early appearances.
To his credit, Hassan recognises that his own performances need improving.
He admitted his defensive work must get better and acknowledged that he needs more goals and assists.
That’s encouraging. At least there’s some recognition that his contribution hasn’t matched expectations.
But it makes his assessment of Celtic’s European campaign even more difficult to understand.
If your own numbers aren’t good enough, and the team has lost every European match, what exactly would qualify as disappointing?
Celtic’s Standards Are Not Negotiable
Hassan also suggested Celtic were only struggling slightly.
Perhaps he should speak to the supporters who watched the club collapse in Champions League qualifying, lose three consecutive Europa League fixtures and suffer another humiliating domestic defeat at Falkirk.
Interestingly, teammate Mika Baur offered a far more convincing assessment following the Celta Vigo defeat, describing Celtic’s European performances as absolutely disappointing.
At least somebody understands.
Celtic’s standards aren’t something players, managers or directors get to redefine whenever results become uncomfortable.
Those standards were established long before Hassan arrived in Glasgow.
They demand more than promising performances, encouraging words and excuses about results not going our way.
They demand victories, accountability and players who recognise when they’re falling short.
If three defeats from three European matches aren’t disappointing, perhaps the biggest problem at Celtic is that too many people have forgotten what the club’s standards actually are.
