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JOHN COLLINS admits Celtic can’t compete with the game’s elite unless their wage structure is smashed by “four or five times.”

The Parkhead No.2 assessed the grim reality of his club’s financial disadvantages after announcing he was to follow Ronny Deila out of the door.

Even though he knew the position when took the job, Collins admitted to deep disappointment at the gulf which has now opened between the Scottish champions and Europe’s best.

With no sign of the gravy train hitting the buffers, the departing assistant can’t see Celtic ever having the chance again to battle for top-class players.

Collins insists the new gaffer will be fully aware of those restrictions and accepting of the fact it’s not going to change, despite fans’ demands to compete in the Champions League.

He said: “Martin O’Neill was signing English Premier League players, but Celtic will never be able to sign an English Premier League player.

“It’s disappointing, but the word is reality.

“It’s the financial reality and a lot of people forget that we have restraints on salary and fees.

“They can’t compete on salaries. That’s a fact.

“It will stay that way unless the club breaks the wage structure by four or five times the current rate.

“We are shopping in different places.

“Fans still look back on those days and think we want that again, but it’s very difficult.

“You have to be very creative in your scouting and development and create more of our own young players.

“That’s the hope for the future because we cannot buy the finished product for this club.

“Once you develop them and polish them up then someone comes to buy them as they have much more money than us.

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“That’s the reality. Clubs have the funds and we don’t have.

“Big clubs have got the big finances because of TV money.

“It’s not about crowds as Rangers and Celtic have as big crowds as anyone.

“We are a small country and we will never get the money they have.

“The days of competing with them are gone.

“I’m not crying about it. We knew it and the next manager will know it as well.

“They won’t need me to tell them about Celtic, how big the club is, how big the demands are, the expectations, the financial resources, there’s five things.

“The new manager will know, but you never know, the club might offer more.

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“That’ll be Peter [Lawwell] and Dermot [Desmond}’s decision.

“They’ll decide first and foremost they want a manager who can deliver trophies and victories.

“You’ve always got to try and develop players but if you don’t win within a year you’re out the job so you forget the development.

“It’s getting the balance right, developing, winning games, winning trophies, playing entertaining football.”

Collins insists his head is held high as he prepares to go and defended the work of him and Deila.

He said: “I think that as the years go by, there is more and more scrutiny on the manager.

“More criticism and more destructive criticism in my opinion.

“We all knew when we came in that it would be like that and with Rangers not being in the league we would not get any credit for victories.

“That’s the reality of it. It’ll be different next year.

“There are more and more opinions from everyone and more criticism, but when you sign up for the job you know that is part of it even if it’s something that no-one likes.”

Collins will stay in the game after leaving Celtic, but his days of being an assistant or coach is over.

He explained: “I came with Ronny, so I think it’s only correct that I move on as well, so Sunday will also be my last game.

“I think going forward I will either be a director of football or a manager again.

“We will see what the future holds, but I am not against going abroad. I have gone abroad before as a manager and as a player.

“New experiences, new challenges, who knows? There is no rush.”