Most Celtic fans appear to believe that it is the fault of the club's board and their lack of ambition in the transfer market that was the primary reason behind the Hoops' goalless draw against Kairat Almaty in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier playoff at Parkhead. The result leaves Brendan Rodgers' team in a tough spot, as they will need to go away to Kazakhstan and win in the second leg.
Of course, the manager and the players seem to believe that they are capable of doing that. But the performance this week will not fill the fans will any confidence about that.
On top of that, one cannot forget about the long trip that they will have to take to get to the second leg. All things considered, it feels like Kairat are now the favourites to go through. Celtic should have never been in this position though.
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony said on Sky Sports:
"I think the biggest problem for the Celtic board and the Celtic ownership, and they’re wealthy people back there, they don’t come out and talk enough, and they need to do more.
“You can’t just have your manager come out and saying, we need to improve the squad. We need to do this. Okay, well, you’ve got to go and win and beat the Kazakhstan team."
English club owner shares what Celtic board's problem is
MacAnthony has had his dealings with Celtic in recent times. Many will remember the long transfer saga involving Ivan Toney, back when he was a Peterborough United player. Ultimately, the Hoops could not get a deal done and he moved to Brentford. The rest is history.
Well, the lack of communication is certainly a problem. There have rarely been occasions when the club have come out and explained a tough situation. The last one we can think of was when they failed in their pursuit of Eddie Howe's signature in the summer of 2021.
For weeks, Rodgers had made it very clear in the media that he had wanted more reinforcements before the Champions League qualifiers. But the manager was not backed in the transfer window.
Is it because the club were not simply able to agree deals in time? Is it because their top targets want guaranteed Champions League football before committing to a Parkhead move? Or, could it be that they want to spend big with just a year left on Rodgers' contract?
Whichever may be the answer, it certainly won't help Celtic get into the Champions League. The decision is even more confusing considering the prize pool that is up for grabs just for getting into Europe's elite competition. The strategy makes little to no sense.