Celtic’s defeat to Livingston and subsequent cup victory over Raith Rovers has done little to answer the question - where are Celtic at the moment? And ultimately the big question of the season - what represents success?

It’s a bit of a rollercoaster supporting the club with good performances and results at home making you feel like you’re witnessing the dawn of an exciting new era. Then the away defeats come, making you feel like you’ve been gaslighting yourself and actually, we’re still miles from where we should be.

So where are we? Is Ange the man to actually take Celtic forward and what does success look like this season?

Well for me, Celtic are a few steps into the long walk back to the top. It’s pretty clear now that the damage done last season and the exodus of talent we’ve seen this summer has left us with a rebuilding job bigger than one window could manage. We’re paper-thin on quality, especially in key areas and the injuries we’re dealing with at the moment are really holding us back.

Abada is good but young and inconsistent. Ralston, although a fans favourite just isn’t good enough to be starting every week. Ajeti isn’t Kyogo. Left-back is still an issue. Can Rogic be improved upon? Yes. Doesn’t Turnbull need competition to push him on? It looks like it. Squad issues remain and honestly, without a strong window I think this will be THE major factor in the outcome of the league.

READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou stunned at Celtic's injury luck but says "job done" against Raith Rovers - points from the presser

We’ve improved under Ange, no question.

We have a style and a structure to our play that wasn’t there before. You can see what we’re trying to do but he’s working with this squad at the moment and I’m not sure, outside the best eleven, the players are of a sufficient level to do what he needs them to. In Ange we’ve also got a manager who seems to understand the role and takes responsibility when things go wrong. It’s refreshing to see.

What represents success for us this season? Well, prior to the Glasgow Derby I’d said winning the league was non-negotiable. The league form since then has made we wonder if that’s realistic given the challenges we face. Getting into the Champions League was always going to be a big ask so Europa League football is a box ticked. We’re into the semi-finals of the League Cup and bringing home at least one of the domestic cups this season is a requirement.

Then onto the league, the ‘be all and end all’. A competition we were never in last season and with only 3 wins out of 6 we’re perilously close to being out of early doors this year. I can’t accept anything other than a second-place finish within five points of Rangers come May. Of course, I WANT Celtic to win the league but sitting here at the moment it’s looking like we’ve been hobbled once again by insufficient recruitment and injuries. Success this season is giving a good showing of ourselves and taking this league as close as we possibly can. As depressing as that sounds.