Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has vowed to get the Scottish club back on track following a dramatic Champions League play-off defeat to Austrian side LASK.
The Glasgow club surrendered a four-goal lead across the two legs, falling to a costly elimination in Linz as the hosts staged a second-half comeback.
The defeat comes almost 23 years after O'Neill first expressed concern about Celtic's long-term European prospects. Months after taking the club to within a hair's breadth of winning the UEFA Cup, the manager warned that impending financial restraint would make competing on the continental stage far harder.
"We might need to get used to life in the slow lane," O'Neill stated at the time.
Although Celtic defeated Barcelona in the Champions League later that season, that victory remains the last time the club won a post-Christmas knockout tie in European competition. In the years since, smaller but far better-run clubs have overtaken Celtic as the Scottish champions have struggled to keep pace.
Champions League play-off record
While European success has arrived sporadically for Celtic, the broader picture of their continental campaigns paints a grim picture. Losing a single play-off tie can happen to any team, but Celtic have now lost eight of their last 10 Champions League play-offs, including six in a row.
The Scottish champions have repeatedly arrived ill-prepared and undercooked for the biggest fixtures of their season, creating an atrocious recent record that is entirely of their own making.
Although transfer activity this summer represented a minor improvement compared to previous years, Celtic still went into the decisive qualifier against LASK while operating at a profit.
The board chose to sell key midfielder Arne Engels to English Premier League club West Ham United for £22million without bringing in a replacement beforehand, a gamble that backfired spectacularly.
"Perhaps there was the thought Arne might stay for the game," O'Neill said. "But, look, we genuinely need to learn. That's the most important thing."
"I know that sounds like a politician answer after the whole thing and saying what we should have done," the Celtic boss added. "If there are lessons to be learned, if there is a common denominator about not making it into the Champions League for each time you've had to play a qualifying game, let's genuinely analyse that. I haven't had a chance to do that. I'm just part of the statistic now."
Transfer recruitment and team performance
Supporters who watched the catastrophe in Austria unfold were in no doubt about the underlying factors behind the defeat. From past exits against AEK Athens to last year's debacle away to Kairat Almaty, recurring issues have included selling key players without replacing them, poor recruitment, and a glacial pace in signing off deals.
Asked about those structural criticisms, O'Neill admitted he could not defend the club's recent approach. "Do you know what?" O'Neill said. "I'm in no position to argue, really, not today. But in my moment in the ashes, and I do feel like that at the moment, I think the club will rise, and I'm hoping in the not-too-distant future. I might not be there, but I do think the club will not just qualify but to make it through and really do fine in the competition and attempt to get to the latter stages."
While the hierarchy has faced fierce criticism for failing to bolster the squad, the backlash since Tuesday's match has extended to everyone at the club. Surrendering a four-goal lead to any opponent remains wholly unacceptable at any level of football.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor admitted he felt his teammates were scared as LASK turned up the heat during the second half. O'Neill and his backroom staff were unable to get the team to batten down the hatches as the Austrian side came at them in waves.
"We played the first game, we won 3-0," O'Neill recalled. "I did say afterwards that the game was very much in the balance. That wasn't just a defence mechanism. It was the truth of the game. I thought that they were a really fine side. I know we did not do well in the second half, but in all honesty we should have been out of sight by half-time. I've experienced these things before, both for and against. And the momentum that they had was very strong."
At full-time, players Anthony Ralston, Callum McGregor, and Dane Murray were left shellshocked on the pitch as the loss was confirmed.
Supporter criticism of Luke McCowan
It proved a particularly painful evening for midfielder Luke McCowan, a lifelong Celtic fan who struggled after coming off the bench. McCowan was dispossessed on the edge of his own penalty area as LASK struck the decisive blow, leading to fierce criticism from supporters in the days following the match in Austria.
"If it hadn't been Luke, it would have been somebody else," O'Neill said regarding the abuse directed at McCowan. "People have been, throughout time, subjected to lots of abuse. It just seems to be the way. Generally speaking, I'm not in the mood for putting arms around players at this minute. But I will."
Rebuilding after European failure
Following last season's exit to Kairat Almaty, the cloud of failure lingered over Celtic for months. O'Neill emphasized that the team must quickly put the lamentable performance in Linz behind them to avoid a similar hangover.
"Are you going to stem the flow of negativity?" O'Neill asked. "I just think this is it. I think that people, first of all, you have to be disappointed. And if you're angry at it, I absolutely accept those things. But somewhere along the way we as a football club have to get back up again as quickly as possible. Try and ride the disappointment out. And learn from it."
