Ambition, Disappointment and a Broken Connection – The Celtic Board Created This Mess

There are defeats that hurt.

There are defeats that make you angry.

And then there are defeats that leave you staring at the ceiling at two o’clock in the morning wondering how on earth your football club managed to throw away a four-goal aggregate lead against LASK.

That is where we find ourselves as supporters this morning.

One minute, we were talking about Champions League football, new signings and whether Martin O’Neill could finally build a squad capable of taking Celtic to another level.

The next, we are heading into the Europa League after losing 5-1 in Linz and surrendering a 4-0 advantage. 

And perhaps the hardest part isn’t even the result.

It is what the result says about the relationship between Celtic and its supporters.

This feels like the culmination of months of frustration, mixed messages, questionable decisions and an absence of clear direction.

This Was Supposed to Be Different

That is what makes it hurt.

We as supporters allowed ourselves to believe again.

Camilo Durán arrived and immediately looked like a proper striker.

Kasper Høgh arrived and started scoring.

Mika Baur gave the midfield some much-needed energy.

Haissem Hassan arrived for £7 Million.

The 3-0 first-leg victory against LASK felt like the reward for finally doing some sensible business. 

There was excitement again.

People were talking about the Champions League rather than worrying about the same old problems.

Then came last night. 

And we didn’t simply lose.

We collapsed.

Martin O’Neill described it as one of the most painful nights of his career and accepted responsibility for what happened. 

But responsibility cannot stop with the manager.

Because the problems exposed in Austria didn’t suddenly appea.

We created them.

The Transfer Window Suddenly Looks Very Different

This is where the Arne Engels situation becomes particularly difficult to swallow.

We knew he was leaving.

West Ham wanted him available for the start of their season and the transfer eventually went through for a reported £22 million. 

Selling Engels isn’t the problem.

Players leave.

The problem is selling an important midfielder shortly before a Champions League play-off without having his replacement.

That was the risk everyone could see coming.

Then Look at Iheanacho and Saracchi

This is where supporters are entitled to ask questions.

Kelechi Iheanacho wanted to stay.

Martin O’Neill wanted him.

The player had already experienced Celtic.

He knew the manager, dressing room and the league.

And yet the deal collapsed before he eventually joined Bursaspor. Reports indicated that an agreement was initially reached before wage demands changed dramatically. 

Marcelo Saracchi was even more straightforward.

He publicly said he was gutted to leave and that he and his agent had done everything possible to make a return happen.

Celtic didn’t make it happen.

He eventually joined Houston Dynamo. 

Again, maybe there are legitimate reasons behind both decisions.

But supporters don’t see the conversations inside the boardroom.

They see the outcome.

And the outcome is that two players who knew Celtic, wanted Celtic and had already contributed to Celtic’s success were allowed to walk away.

And Then We Are Still Watching Ralston and McCowan

This is not about personally attacking either player.

It isn’t their fault Celtic continue to select them.

But supporters are allowed to ask whether they are good enough to be regular Celtic players… which they aren’t.

Because if we’re serious about Champions League football, the standards have to rise.

Anthony Ralston was introduced late in extra time.

Luke McCowan came on as Celtic desperately tried to regain control.

Both were absolutely appalling. 

That is what makes it so frustrating.

We have spent months being told about ambition.

But when the biggest game of the season arrived, we were still relying on players who supporters have spent months stating aren’t Celtic quality. 

The Tounekti Moment Says Everything

Perhaps the most revealing thing was the fear when substitutions started, and Tounekti came on. 

Where are Hassan and Forrest?

Tounekti is not a bad player.

He has shown flashes of quality.

But a Celtic squad chasing Champions League football shouldn’t be down to a player with one goal and one assist last season.  

The bench should make you feel stronger.

Instead, it felt like every change weakened us.

And that is a squad-building problem.

The Board Have Created This Mood

This is where criticism of the board is entirely justified.

We have the resources.

We have the fanbase.

We have the commercial power.

We have sold players for significant money season on season. 

We have the stadium.

We have the history.

We have Champions League revenue sitting in front of us every single summer.

Yet somehow, we repeatedly arrive at the most important moments asking whether the squad is actually ready.

The frustrating thing is it felt like Celtic had been doing things differently this summer.

Durán.

Høgh.

Baur.

Hassan.

There was genuine excitement.

But good recruitment doesn’t excuse leaving obvious holes.

And This Is Where the Fans Matter

This is the part that perhaps gets lost when we talk about results like this. 

It is easy to say:

“It’s only football.”

And technically, it is.

But football isn’t experienced in isolation.

People work all week and save money to travel to Europe.

People take annual leave.

People spend thousands of pounds following Celtic.

People arrange their lives around matches.

People watch games with their families.

They go to the pub.

They travel across countries.

And sometimes football genuinely becomes an important escape from everything else happening in someone’s life.

That doesn’t mean a defeat should ruin your life.

And sometimes you need to step back and process that emotion rather than allow it to consume you.

Be angry.

Be disappointed.

Have a rant.

Then go to work.

See your family.

Walk the dog.

Have a coffee.

Get on with life.

Because Celtic will still be there tomorrow.

We did this to ourselves.

LASK didn’t perform some miracle against an unbeatable Celtic.

They exposed weaknesses that were already there.

They kept believing.

We stopped believing.

And once that happened, the tie became psychological as much as tactical.

Where Do We Go From Here?

that’s the question nobody can seem to answer.

And perhaps that is why the relationship between the board and its supporters feels so broken.

We as fans don’t necessarily expect perfection.

We don’t expect Celtic to win every European game.

We don’t expect every signing to work.

We don’t even expect Champions League qualification every year.

What we want is direction.

Tell us what the plan is.

Tell us what the squad is supposed to become.

Tell us why certain players are leaving.

Tell us why others are staying.

Show us that the club understands where the weaknesses are.

Most importantly, act before those weaknesses become.

What I struggle to accept is a club that appears to be reacting to problems it should have anticipated.

World Class In Everything We Do

Ambition cannot simply be words. 

It has to exist in the recruitment.

In the squad.

In the preparation.

In the infrastructure.

In the communication.

In the decisions made when nobody is watching.

Last night wasn’t just a footballing collapse.

It was a reminder that Celtic cannot continue telling supporters one thing while showing them another.

The mood around the club this morning is poisonous.

People are furious.

People are hurt.

Some are questioning the manager.

Some are questioning the players.

Others are questioning the board.

Most are questioning everything.

But perhaps the biggest lesson is that Celtic created this environment themselves.

The club had an opportunity to reconnect with its supporters this summer.

For a brief period, it looked like that was happening.

Then we threw away a four-goal lead against LASK.

Now the board has to decide what happens next.

Not with another statement.

Not with another promise.

Not with another excuse.

With action.

Because Celtic supporters will forgive a lot.

But they need to believe there is a direction we’re actually going.

Right now, nobody seems to know where that is.