Alan Brazil has branded Celtic's Champions League play-off defeat to LASK as the worst in the club's history, questioning the players' mentality after they capitulated in Austria. The Hoops blew a four-goal aggregate advantage in Linz as they crashed out of UEFA's premier competition, dropping into the Europa League for the second successive season after falling at the play-off hurdle yet again.
Costly collapse in Linz
The Premiership champions have missed out on a potential £40million windfall, and Celtic-daft Brazil pulled no punches in a scathing verdict. He joined regular talkSPORT breakfast show sidekick, Rangers icon Ally McCoist, who said: "It's a disastrous result. Absolutely disastrous. Why are Scottish clubs so poor? It will cost them millions."
Brazil admitted he wasn't confident despite a 3-0 first leg advantage from Parkhead. Asked where it sits in Celtic's worst defeats in their history, Brazil said: "In terms of the importance of the game and the money side of it then I'd suggest it's THE worst. Shocker.
"In the first leg I was screaming at the TV for Celtic to get a third goal. And when we got it I went to bed and tried to get to sleep. And I thought that had to be enough. And once McGregor scores you think 'keep the ball, lock up'. Slow it down. It should have been enough.
"I don't want to be too harsh on players but have you got to look at some of the characters and say 'Do you want to play Champions League football? Do you want it that much?'. It's horrible to say it."
McCoist's assessment
McCoist added: "I thought LASK were impressive. They were certainly a far better side I thought when the draw came out."
The defeat leaves Celtic facing another Europa League campaign, with the financial and sporting repercussions of the loss still to be felt.
