Ambition. Noun. Meaning: 'A strong desire to do or achieve something'. If that was not the word on every Celtic supporter's lips after the events that unfolded in the Champions League qualifiers this week then it should be.

It should reverberate all around from the rank-and-file fan to those occupying power in the Celtic hierarchy. Once again Celtic have been presented with another wonderful chance - just as they were in season 2020/21 when they blew the 10 - to put some real distance between themselves and city rivals Rangers.  Rangers' failure to qualify for the Champions League league phase was met with weeping and gnashing of teeth down Govan way. It carries serious financial repercussions for Philippe Clement's men but not only that the biggest fear for the Light Blues is that the main beneficiaries are Celtic.

The Ibrox club's loss to Dynamo Kyiv wiped out £5 million going into Rangers coffers just for making the play-off match against RB Salzburg. At a stroke, it also guaranteed Celtic another jackpot from non-shared TV revenue streams in the process. Celtic will earn 100 per cent of the TV revenue for being Scotland's sole representative at the elite level of European football. The men in green and white earned £7 million from TV rights last season but that figure is expected to rise by 35 per cent which would see Celtic net something in the region of £9.5 million but that could rise as high as £11 million.

Strangely, Rangers shortcomings on the field have inadvertently helped Celtic fund the Adam Idah deal off the field after the men in green and white finally secured the Norwich City and Republic of Ireland striker's £8.5 million switch - rising to £9.5 million in add-ons - from the Championship side this week.

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All the early estimates indicate that the Scottish Champions are set to make some £40-60 million from participation in the newly revamped greatest club competition on earth. It's mind-boggling sums of money for a club that earlier this month reported to the London Stock Exchange that they are on course for "significantly higher" earnings than previously expected when they release their financial results in September. Last year Celtic hit a record £119.9m in revenues and announced that they had cash holdings of £72.3m. This year's figures will dwarf those by comparison. It's a scary thought, isn't it?

The good news kept on coming as Celtic were elevated to Pot 3 courtesy of the Euro results on Tuesday night. Celtic's possible opponents in Pot 4 are hardly formidable - Slovan Bratislava, AS Monaco, Sparta Prague, Bologna, Girona, VfB Stuttgart, Sturm Graz and Stade de Brest - only English Premier League side Aston Villa would be potentially the one to avoid but Brendan Rodgers and his men would relish a Battle of Britain when you consider how they dealt with Manchester City and Chelsea on their pre-season tour of the USA. With £1.8 million up for grabs for any sort of win in the Champions League league phase, Celtic would fancy their chances of claiming some of those scalps no matter the draw which will be made on August 29.

That's where the word ambition comes in. If the Celtic board has any, that is. Now is the time to show it. Let's not beat about the bush here. Celtic have the chance to bury Rangers for the foreseeable future by bringing in the kind of quality in the positions that Rodgers desperately craves. It will be the last year of guaranteed Champions League money because Scotland's coefficient is not good enough to prop up the Scottish champions going straight in at that level ad infinitum. However, what a chance Celtic has to safeguard future Champions League monies by getting their recruitment spot on and arming Rodgers with a team worthy of the name.

It won't be easy but with some planning, strategic and wise spending that would not only sweep the domestic boards this season but a side more than capable enough to negotiate the Champions League qualifiers this time next year.  All successful football clubs are the ones that plan accordingly and the Celtic board now has a golden chance to back Rodgers and give him quality players in the positions that the Irishman knows need filled. Let's say left-back, centre-back, defensive midfielder, a left-winger and another striker. That could see Celtic continue to dominate domestically for some time to come.

Can you imagine the almighty high the Celtic supporters would be on if they managed to achieve that before the end of the August window and keep prized asset Matt O'Riley in situ into the bargain? The Celtic board really can flip this narrative on its head and come out of the transfer window with that rarity of things ringing in their ears - plaudits. It would take a bit of planning for sure but the time is now and it has arrived for Rodgers and Celtic.

At the club AGM in November, Peter Lawwell said these very words: "Celtic are committed to Scottish domination, a world-class football team and UCL progress albeit it’s a huge challenge. We feel that we are competing. The gap is getting bigger. The game has changed since we last got to the last 16. We’ve done well against Lazio and Atletico at home. We just need to be more consistent."

(Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group)

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No, they didn't. Celtic didn't need to be more consistent - the powerbrokers needed to be more ambitious. They had to back the manager and give him the money to spend on the right quality and calibre of player that would have turned the home draw to Atletico and the last-minute sickening Parkhead loss to Lazio into victories. It's time Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay honoured these words with actions.

Whilst they are at it the biggest asset the club has at the minute is the manager. Those at the top should already be sounding Rodgers out about how he feels regarding a contract extension. Rodgers is on his second year of a three-year deal. Celtic should not be letting the clock tick down on that deal any further without getting their manager around the table for serious discussions. That should be one of the top priorities on the Celtic 'To-Do' list. It is the ultimate no-brainer as Celtic and Rodgers attempt to build something good and lasting in Glasgow's east end.

Rodgers possesses a 'vaulting ambition' for his Celtic team to be able to compete at the Champions League level. The same cannot be levelled at the current custodians. For far too long their modest ambitions appeared to be to keep Rangers at arm's length. That is not enough for the Celtic fanbase or Rodgers. The ambitions have gone way beyond that. Simply finishing ahead of Rangers and keeping the title race tight enough to sustain a modicum of interest won't cut it anymore.

Celtic were once a respected force in European football. That reputation has taken a severe battering in recent seasons. Rodgers wants to change all that. He wants to be the manager who restores Celtic's pride, honour and standing at European football's top table. He believes he can achieve that. It is not hyperbole to suggest otherwise.

The 51-year-old is determined to put an end to the days when Celtic Park is viewed merely as a tourist attraction by top European players as they waltz off with another three precious points. Yet last season Rodgers glimpsed the future against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Lazio when Celtic came up agonisingly short in both encounters. However, he realised what could be achieved at the Champions League level with a little ambition. At the risk of repeating myself here, Celtic has to have a recalibration when it comes to the Champions League league phase.  A new mindset.  New Champions League. New Celtic.

Lawwell, Nicholson and McKay have to prove once and for all that: "Celtic are committed to Scottish domination, a world-class football team and UCL progress..." The time to provide all of that is now under Rodgers as Rangers can't do it. It was the rather fortuitous hiring of Aussie manager Ange Postecoglou and the football he served up for two years that softened the blow post-10-in-a-row. It's only now that the Celtic supporters are beginning to move on from the trauma of that botched attempt at a unique slice of footballing history.

Celtic now has another chance to tighten the screw not just domestically but on the European scene as well. As we all know Rodgers possesses: 'A strong desire to do or achieve something', particularly in the Champions League arena. What happens between now and August 30 will give the clearest indication yet of where the Celtic hierarchy's true ambition lies.