Celtic Hit Target With Europa League Place

At a meeting with Celtic fans after our Champions League exit last year, CEO Michael Nicholson boasted of the club’s record in qualifying for European group stage football.

The calamitous defeat away to LASK condemned us to our sixth straight failure to qualify for the Champions League.

And with that failure comes the consolation of playing in the Europa League group stages – an achievement Nicholson will no doubt highlight in the future when accusations of lacking ambition are levelled at him again.

The massive gulf between the ambitions of the supporters and those running the club has never been so stark.

There was a lot of confidence before Tuesday’s game based on our three goal lead from the first leg.

But in reality that match at Celtic Park could have finished 3-3.

Celtic’s goals in the first match were outstanding, you don’t often see three of that quality in one game and we were grateful for those moments that gifted us a handsome lead.

But the threat posed by LASK was there for all to see at Celtic Park.

A THREE GOAL LEAD ISN’T ENOUGH TO COMFORT CELTIC

In the return leg that threat became a horrible reality as Celtic wilted badly in Austria.

And while criticisms for the result can be levelled at individual players and the management team, an event that happens six times in a row is by definition a pattern.

A very clear pattern of a football club consistently failing to overcome lesser funded clubs.

This summer’s transfer window sees the club sitting on a profit, yet again, despite having already accumulated around £70 million from previous seasons profits.

Some of that money should have been invested bringing in quality players that were badly needed in LASK, especially on the bench.

This is the model of the current Celtic board, the pattern is there for all to see – make a profit every summer transfer window and fail to qualify for the Champions League.

But this year they have no excuses, the supporters put them on warning last season.

Protesting Celtic supporters formed the Fans Collective last year and highlighted all these failings and the club claimed they had listened.

We were told that lessons would be learned – it is now clear that nothing has been learned.

Signing four quality players was never going to be enough when another four are so desperately needed.

And we fans are back where we started last summer after the defeat to Kairat Almaty.

The anger and frustration with the board’s failings is just as real.

Just Following Dermot Desmond Orders??? They Are His Servants?? https://t.co/ef6SrAXJ3B
— Humble One(Liberal)….. (@ManCompassion) August 27, 2026

A BOARD THAT VIEWS FANS AS THE ENEMY WITHIN

But last year’s protests have taken a toll on supporters, especially when you consider that the KO from LASK confirms that the club paid no attention to all the warnings we issued.

It’s no fun to discover you are hated by the people running the club you love, it’s demoralising.

The front line of the protests, the Green Brigade, paid a heavier price than anyone with seasons tickets being cancelled for most of last season.

Shoot the messenger was the clear strategy from the club when they were held to account.

The club would be extremely foolish to go down that road again given the levels of anger there is within the support at this point.

The chances of someone, anyone, from the club fronting up this latest failure and addressing us fans must be rated as slim to non existent.

Its just not how they operate. Nicholson only broke cover last season to endorse Wilfred Nancy and accuse fans of assaulting club staff.

He quickly disappeared again and interim chairman Brian Wilson was wheeled out to make vague commitments that were quickly broken.

But from their perspective there is nothing to explain or apologise for.

That gut wrenching feeling we fans felt last night as the club failed again to qualify for the competition that defines us as a club was not shared by Nicholson and Co.

Tuesday night we achieved group stage football in Europe and that’s another box ticked for a woefully unambitious Celtic board who detest us fans who expect so much more of our club. Starting with basic competency, punching their weight.

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