Celtic board must go after LASK humiliation – this is the final straw

Celtic board must go. After what happened in Austria, there can be no more excuses and no more hiding places.

Celtic have somehow crashed out of the Champions League after losing 5-1 to LASK following extra time.

Martin O’Neill’s side travelled to Austria with a 3-0 advantage. Callum McGregor then scored after 21 minutes to put Celtic 4-0 ahead on aggregate.

From there, Celtic collapsed.

LASK scored five times, including the winner in extra time, to complete an extraordinary 5-4 aggregate turnaround.

It was humiliating. However, this cannot simply be dumped at the manager’s door.

The Celtic board have to carry enormous responsibility for this.

Celtic board must go after another qualifying failure

They knew these Champions League qualifiers were coming months ago.

There was no surprise. There was no unexpected fixture suddenly dropped into the calendar.

Yet Celtic still approached the biggest games of the summer with an unfinished squad.

Only three summer signings started in Austria: Kasper Høgh, Camilo Durán and Mika Baur.

Then the lack of options became painfully obvious.

Kieran Tierney was replaced after 70 minutes. Colby Donovan followed shortly afterwards. Cameron Carter-Vickers was also taken off at 90 minutes.

That meant three of Celtic’s changes involved defenders.

By the time extra time arrived, O’Neill had no opportunity to turn towards attacking options including Haissem Hassan, James Forrest or Callum Osmand.

That is what happens when a squad is not properly prepared for the biggest games.

O’Neill needed ammunition. He needed quality, strength and genuine depth before these ties.

Instead, Celtic gambled again.

Celtic board’s Champions League record is damning

The pattern is impossible to ignore.

Celtic last successfully negotiated Champions League qualifying against Astana in 2017.

Since then came AEK Athens in 2018, CFR Cluj in 2019, Ferencváros in 2020 and Midtjylland in 2021.

Kairat Almaty followed last season.

Now LASK can be added to the list.

Six qualifying campaigns since Astana. Six failures.

That is not bad luck. It is a pattern.

Kairat should have been the final warning. Celtic went out last season after failing to score across 210 minutes.

Surely that embarrassment should have produced a completely different approach this summer?

Apparently not.

Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson have had enough chances

Money cannot seriously be presented as an excuse.

Sky Sports lists Celtic’s four fee-paying summer arrivals at approximately £32.8million combined.

Meanwhile, the reported sales of Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma alone amount to around £35.5million.

That is before considering any money received through undisclosed deals.

So this is not about demanding reckless spending.

It is about planning.

Celtic knew Engels was leaving. They knew the areas that required strengthening. They knew precisely when these Champions League matches would arrive.

The players should take responsibility for an appalling collapse in Austria. O’Neill will also know Celtic should never lose a four-goal aggregate advantage.

However, the wider failure belongs above the manager.

Dermot Desmond, Michael Nicholson and those responsible for Celtic’s football strategy have had enough chances.

Sell players. Wait. Gamble on qualification. React afterwards.

It has happened too often.

Celtic require modern leadership which plans ahead rather than waiting until disaster strikes.

After Kairat and now this extraordinary LASK humiliation, enough is enough.

The Celtic board must go.

This has to be the final straw.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Celtic lost 5-1 after extra time and went out 5-4 on aggregate despite once leading the tie 4-0.
• Three defensive substitutions severely restricted Martin O’Neill’s attacking options.
• Celtic have now failed in six consecutive Champions League qualifying campaigns they have entered since 2017.
• Reported major sales this summer already exceed the headline fees paid for Celtic’s four permanent fee-paying signings.
• The repeated failure to complete the squad before Champions League qualifiers raises serious questions over Celtic’s leadership and planning.