Celtic’s catastrophic Champions League collapse in Linz has finally unified the Old Firm support into one common view, as Rangers fans revel in their rivals’ misery on the sports Hotline.
Fans agree on Celtic’s European failure
Celtic fan Sean Dolan, Chicago, conceded: “Well that was embarrassing! And quite rightly. The Rangers fans will be swamping the Hotline, reminding us of how we just can’t cut it in Europe. And they’d be right. Time and time again, same outcome. Clearly we’ve brought in some quality but it’s not enough to compete. Luke McCowan was particularly disappointing and just nowhere near what is needed. I guess we’re exactly where we supposed to be.”
Bluenose Andy Lanigan, Bishopbriggs, wasn’t missing the opportunity to agree with Sean. He said: “Last week, the Hotline was full of crowing Celtic fans giving it large about how their side was ‘showing how it should be done’ against a team better than anything in the SPFL’. Well, it seems LASK were also better than your lot, eh lads? Couldn't happen to more deserving people.”
Rangers fans pile on the misery
George Wilson, West Sussex, was ready to pile in too. He said: “Eddie Blanchard told us last week that Celtic would batter LASK, spend at least £50million in transfers and get to the last eight of the Champions League. He couldn’t have been a Celtic supporter for long otherwise he would have been aware of the last 25 years of total embarrassment and humiliation that Celtic and their supporters have endured in Europe and in particular the Champions League. I had a month's free Amazon Prime so watched the game and a 10 goal victory for LASK wouldn’t have been unjust. It would have been far worse had Celtic qualified and got in with the top teams.”
Iain Morrison, Livingston, lapped up every second. He roared: “Oh dear. My sides are splitting! This lot had won the Champions League last week, after beating LASK. Gordon Ashley and his pals had better get the magical calculator out again. It just goes to prove, they can only do it in a one team league. When it comes to the real stuff, Celtic are no better than Cowdenbeath. Sorry Cowdenbeath.”
Celtic fans hit back at critics
Benjamin Clarke, Balornock, wasn’t in the mood to be laughed at by the Rangers support: “What a totally embarrassing performance in Europe from Celtic, almost as bad as our Govan neighbours. Let’s face it, no team in Scotland is going to do anything in the Champions League — or Europe for that matter.”
Celtic looked to have stomped one foot into the league phase when Callum McGregor’s early strike added to last week’s 3-0 Parkhead win. But as his team’s nerve crumbled, Martin O’Neill was forced to watch on in horror as the Scottish Champions tumbled out of UEFA’s top tournament and down into the Europa League.
Richard Wharton, Carlisle, raged: “Disgusting, disgraceful and pathetic. Couldn’t tackle, gave them too much space, almost every clearance came back at us. The passing was atrocious, players far too easily knocked off the ball. To lose after being four goals up is unforgivable.”
Paul Price, Glasgow, slammed: “Like the rest of the Celtic support, I will take a long time in getting over the complete annihilation of our team by LASK in the Champions League play-off. We started off in the ascendancy and slowly capitulated into a team, totally lacking and devoid of any creativity. The long and short of using a certain tool to perform a certain job is said to be ‘the motion in the ocean’. Sadly this Celtic team are way out of their depth on that performance!”
Paul McCormack, Coatbridge blasted: “To take a £40million gamble with a threadbare squad once and lose is incompetence. To do the exact same thing the following season is absolute negligence. Heads should roll at the very highest level. Trying to ‘wing it’ into the next round with a lightweight squad has also left us with almost half the starting 11 injured tonight, crucial injuries which will leave us miles short in the league campaign too. Dermot Desmond out, along with his biscuit tin hoarders, we've had enough…”
Players blamed for defeat
Rab Roberts, Bo’ness, said: “After watching that inept performance last night it’s obvious Celtic haven’t gotten enough quality in to compete in the Champions League. But there are two transfers they absolutely must make - Sebastian Tounekti and McCowan must be moved on. Tounekti has absolutely no forward gear, no ability while McCowan continuously gave the ball away and never won a tackle. A total waste of money!”
Joe MacEachen, Coatbridge, got the final say on this rage-a-thon. He said: “Yet another capitulation away from home by Celtic. It is the same every season and has been going on for years, so rather than blame the coaches or managers maybe the players need to take the blame and responsibility for this defeat and give the supporters who travelled over to Austria the money they paid to attend the match. It is clear that Celtic players do not have the mental strength to play away from home in Europe as we crumble as soon as the other team gives any challenge. It is obvious the likes of Tounekti and McCowan are not Celtic standard. Where were our superstars Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran? I don't think I heard their names mentioned. The two most obvious deficiencies in the Celtic team is that both our centre backs are too slow for football at Champions League level and we have been crying out for a Scott Brown type midfielder for years, someone who can play football but also tackle our midfield is too easily outmuscled and pushed aside. I would like to say that maybe we will have a run in the Europa League but in all honesty I cannot see that happening because any half decent teams in that competition will watch our games against LASK and set out their tactics accordingly. We are way too easy to play against in Europe and most teams know that.”
