Martin O'Neill has accepted responsibility for Celtic's Champions League exit after the Scottish champions blew a four-goal aggregate lead against LASK in the playoff round.
The Hoops were eliminated from the Champions League and dropped into the Europa League after a 5-1 extra-time defeat in Linz. Celtic led 3-0 after the first leg and Callum McGregor scored to make it 1-0 in Austria, but the Parkhead side collapsed in the second half and conceded five goals in the worst European second-leg slump in more than 60 years.
Manager takes the blame
O'Neill refused to blame the summer recruitment for the horror show, insisting Celtic should not have folded in such shocking fashion.
He said: "No, absolutely. Shouldn't do, and I accept responsibility.
"That is down to me, regardless of how it turned out to be, whether it's fitness, whether it's… it's just everything perhaps, but we shouldn't have done that.
"From the position that we were in, you shouldn't even have been near to this extent.
"I'm responsible for the team. I'm responsible for it. I'm the manager of the side and I'm just hugely disappointed.
"Disappointed for obviously for the side, for the aspect, and for the people who come to the performance, and hugely disappointed."
Failed qualifying record
Celtic have now failed in their last six Champions League qualifying campaigns, with LASK joining a list that includes Kairat, Cluj and Ferencvaros in recent years.
O'Neill said: "I'm responsible for this one, and I don't know what's happened in the last... but it's not a good statistic.
"I think that what these games, these type of games show you is that we obviously a lot of work to do in that aspect.
People say you can overcome that at certain stages, you know, but overall, like, these games are real, real tests for you, and unfortunately, we failed that test tonight."
Second-half capitulation
Celtic had chances to put the tie to bed and led in Austria, but a shocking second-half capitulation proved costly.
O'Neill said: "We lost control. In the first half, we had clear-cut chances; one of them should have gone in.
"We allowed them to get before that, and it gave them something to hold onto.
"Just after half-time again, they scored, so momentum went with them. We were unable to stem the flow at that particular stage, and yeah, just really disappointed that we didn't see it through."
The manager admitted crashing out of the Champions League – and losing the £40m windfall – could have an impact on his transfer business for the rest of the window.
He said: "It's really major. It's major in every aspect, for financial, football, for prestige, for everything.
"And again, Europa League is some consolation tonight, but we'll pick ourselves up because that's what I have to do. That's my responsibility.
"I think that I said last week that if you could qualify for the Champions League, I think there would be players that would be wanting to come, and that's no longer the case. So we'll see.
"And I've got to say that we're short, and maybe I'm not a million miles away.
"We played brilliantly the other evening, brilliantly in the game. I thought they were a fine, fine side, and they've got some great goals. And tonight, you know, we fell way short, particularly in the second half."
