The Almaty Calamity: A timeline to disaster, and how the Celtic board conspired to destroy our Champions League hopes and dreams once again…
Eric Knott 
(Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Last night’s calamity in Almaty certainly comes as no surprise to many of us who have been calling out the short-comings of the Celtic board since last January.
For those of you who have unwavering faith in them, remember that the spiral to this ignominious defeat began after the Young Boys Berne match in our last Champions League campaign.
The sale of Kyogo Furuhashi is where it began.
I will endeavour in this slide show to reconstruct the timeline that brought us to last night’s debacle.
While many people might say that the manager has questions to answer, and he very well may do, the architects of this utter shambles reside in the Celtic boardroom.
Their actions led us to last night.
Any fans out there under any illusions that it was caused by anyone else need to have a reality check.
Will the result in Almaty last night go down as one of the worst in our history?
Well, that’s open to debate.
One thing that is for sure, though, is that last night was a turning point.
This board has lost their mandate.
Any fan out there who thinks they are the way forward for this club is sorely mistaken.
Last night should be proof positive of that.
In the meantime, I will give you valid reasons as to why this happened, and why it must never happen again.
Good, systematic and factual piece Eric. Starting a CL qually with 47 year olf Forrest, Yang, Tiger Tony and Scales? Sometimes there are no words. My appeal to the Celtic support – please just stop going to the games, don’t buy merchandise and don’t buy the Europa League ticket package. They ONLY way these men will listen is if you take money out their pockets.
Continue to promote the lie, while last night farce, keeps yourself in work for the foreseeable, with an easy agenda in place.
Kyogo was a footballing decision taken, especially as Rodgers couldn’t get the best out of him, with his style of play in operation.
Only 3 changes were allowed in January, with Kyogo, Palma and valle making way.
In came Jota, Schulpp and Kenny returning.
Murray returning on loan, allowed Welsh to go out on loan.
Footballing decisions taken by Rodgers, that nearly came off in Munich, but the standards we once were playing at, dropped dramatically.
Yet you were calling for a new contract for the architect of the likes?
Still doing so now?
In what was hope more than anything, it is now too late. The damage is done. To not score a goal against Kairat over 2 legs is indefensible. On the basis of these performances, there is major work required beyond Summer signings. A clear forward thinking approach is needed now, to protect our dominance in the seasons to come, and to challenge consistently for CL inclusion. The tactics over these 2 legs were torrid, the effort of the players was as uninspiring as I’ve ever witnessed. That was a starting squad that couldn’t give a toss if they qualified or not. The Kairat manager was a youth coach a couple years ago, the Captain is 38 years old, and they cruised it. These players need to shake it off quickly and get their heads up and play at tempo. McGregor has another season or 2 in him, Hatate too inconsistent, Ralston is not even near a suitable understudy to Johnston, Yang just hasn’t got it at this level, Maeda looks like he’d rather be somewhere else, Idah is obviously a bad investment, Engels is either getting dragged down to our current level or never had a higher level in the first place, Forrest has had his day of digging us out of holes. Get the recruitment team to f**k and start again, Rodgers will go and probably should after this season. Club clearly needs a progressive and cultural evolution to bring through quality at home, and recruit quality from abroad. What’s the difference from taking a risk on our own youth to make a profit, over some unknown from abroad to hope they settle, understand the club, get up to speed and then hope we make a profit? The European clubs are seeing value in Scottish talent now, so bring them through ffs. We need to build from what position of strength we have left before the rot gets worse. Time for the board to wake up and do what’s right by the supporters for now AND the future. Get the right people in for the background, and make sure they bring through and develop the right quality going forward. This is no longer about Summer signings, this is day 1 of stop the rot and plan whilst we are still ahead domestically. I hope the Celtic hierarchy are wise enough and humble enough to recognise this, but I won’t hold my breath. If we lose to that mob on Sunday, I can only see the lid flipping off the pot…
Eric,
I wrote these comments after the game. I don’t know how others see it but I have just witnessed a monumental disaster. For any controlling body to inflict family persecution like last night’s performance is insulting and delivered by a silent Banshee Board in a closet existence.
A mystery touring board, suited, collar and tie images with no more than an Ankara set of dentures of poor quality to exhibit! Criticism, like everything else, has its shelf life and, for that reason alone, it’s pointless to persue. Celtic is not just in a cul-de-sac, it’s in a dead-end, with no way through, and to compound all of this we pay cash to the Navigators for doing so! How dumb is that?
Does not matter who we buy now trying to cover their negligence as the saying goes left the gate open and the horse has bolted total disgrace by this incompetent shower who call themselves directors.