19 Aug 2026 06:53:46
Against a countries champions it is and shouldn’t be easy game for us, but lask are not on our level, something as simple as comparing there international players shows a bit of a gulf, them winning in Austria is a bit like hearts winning here, for me we need to do business tonight.
I’m looking for a no nonsense motivated, professional job tonight, want to see our team on park knowing what’s needed and why, they need to feed from crowd and not be nervous of it, players like nygren yang kt calmac trusty who’ve enjoyed success but also failed at this point need to go and drive the rest to win, for lask hopefully we see big crowd startle them a bit, too often teams have enjoyed it and I can see why better teams maybe react that way, for a lask we need to bring them down a peg and show them there visiting a giant who aren’t messing about.
For once in a long time if we don’t get great result and needed something over there next week with mon I’d feel we could still achieve that, all too often under br Ange and few others I always thought it needed to be tonight, domestically we’ve looked ok but it’s all very much been relaxed and smiles with a feel good
Factor of new players etc but I want to see determination and grit from get go tonight.
19 Aug 2026 07:34:57
You would have thought, that after last season, they would have learned their lesson and not went into the match with deficiencies in our team and squad.
Time will tell if their gamble has paid off but if it doesn't, then they only have themselves to blame and deserve the flack from the fans.
19 Aug 2026 07:41:03
Not many clubs can say they have only lost 2 games since September 27th last year and that shows how tough this tie will be.
Celtic have lost 13 games in that same 11 months.
( 9 domestic games and 4 European matches )
19 Aug 2026 07:47:29
We go with what we've got and hopefully we have enough ?
Its just a pity our board have zero ambition. We have millions and choose to gamble once again. The dugs in the street knew Engels was leaving. Did we pre plan ? old fossils on our board hold this great club back.
19 Aug 2026 08:25:13
Hit the nail on the head Jim, under prepared once again, there's an argument that we are actually weaker than this time last season, we are looking decent at domestic level but alarm bells are ringing even at that level with amount of chances we're giving away.
I pray we have enough to get through this tie but can't see it being straight fwd, we look seriously weak in the middle of the park.
Better preparation by strengthening all the key positions would have made this tie a formality.
19 Aug 2026 08:41:39
how many teams have we lost to in CL qualifiers who are not on our level though. I expect us to go through because of the fire power we have but the problem area is still the middle of the park, we do not close down quick enough around the box and encourage pressure onto our back four.
McCowan should not be anywhere near a CL match, I assume the new lad will start ahead of him but he will certainly appear at some stage due to our lack of numbers.
19 Aug 2026 08:45:50
It's a fair point Buzzbomb,
I wonder though, if you took away the 'Nancy factor' for some of those losses and did the Austrians play in Europe (I'm not sure) over the same period - perhaps that would give a different perspective, albeit only 2 losses is impressive.
Jim, you're spot on.
HH.
19 Aug 2026 09:16:45
This isn’t a gamble, it’s utter incompetence.
Read that Sigur could be coming but NOT until his club have negotiated their European players off tie. Do some clubs still do that nonsense ?.
19 Aug 2026 09:30:32
Every team at our level and this point
In cl qualification have deficiencies, there’s an argument ours are a lot less than any of other qualifiers and most of the qualifying teams would want our team over there own, of all the qualifiers with our issues we prob have best team. At some point we need to see this and make the manager and team accountable.
19 Aug 2026 09:39:22
Our board demonstrated their naivety with the Engels deal, either that or greed their for money.
We are interested in Sigur and his club have said he is not going anywhere until they have completed their Conference League qualification games. Total common sense. A stance we should have adopted.
We have left ourselves short in midfield for our biggest games of the season.
We are also short at right back so I hope Donovan or AR can step up.
KT will need to avoid injury or we could see Scales as a makeshift lb.
I appreciate there is still time to get players in before next week but by that time it may be too late, so we have to go with what we have.
MON seems happy with what he has which a concern in itself.
Surely someone at the club knew about the Oxs situation with bookings, if not that is a poor poor lack of planning, especially as it appeared like we were counting on him instead of replacing EA, because everyone knew he was leaving.
He made a big thing of playing against Killie to SM and didn't want to play in these 2 games.
The club must have known before that, that he was def going if an offer came in which we would accept. So why did we not have a replacement ready to push the button.
These are 40m games which we are not properly prepared for. Last season should have given the club enough of a warning about poor preparation.
I will be crossing everything tonight that we can keep it tight at the back and create and take chances at the other end.
19 Aug 2026 09:42:26
We keep talking about teams "not at our level" but usually when it comes to the players performance on the park, they are at our level!
This is due to the deliberate managed decline of our squad quality by those who measure success by £s in the bank rather than success on the pitch.
They are again gambling with £30-40m potential prize money, by not signing enough players and more importantly not signing them soon enough. I expect two even, high scoring, entertaining games against LASK. Hopefully we prevail but if not, we know exactly where the blame lies.
We are still well short of a CL squad of players and the Europa league may be our level anyway. So it's a case of wait and see where we are 8-9 days from now!
19 Aug 2026 09:48:36
Jaa11
Of course every team has deficiencies. How many have 10s of millions in the bank?. How many would use that to try and sort those deficiencies?
19 Aug 2026 09:54:27
The common thread here, as I see it, is the fact that we still don't have a Lenny or a Broony type of player in the midfield (yet) .
Our current midfielders can all contribute offensively, passing, creating and scoring but defensively, particularly at European level, they'll struggle, as it's not their game.
This tie (as important as it is) aside, I really hope that MON brings in a CDM before this window closes, not just to add balance and physicality in the midfield, but to allow his team mates to do their best work going forward.
Domestically we'll get away with it but any half decent European side will bypass our midfield, unchallenged, and next stop is a one on one (or worse) with our CB's and we know how that will end.
HH.
19 Aug 2026 10:03:48
Prob exception Lyon and fenerbache, if Engels was still here would we be playing a player that doesn’t want to be here and would we still be complaining, using words like gamble, incompetence, under prepared, zero ambition, we really are at times a greeting faced bunch, we’ve lost meada and kalechi, Engels from a starting eleven, this time last year kalechi wasn’t here Maeda was sulking and missing and was Engels offering much and kt unfit trusty injured I think Adam idah not giving a jot and all playing under a manager in a huff slagging the team off daily for not being good enough (that’s facts) , we have baur Hassan Duran hogh, aj injured but is an example of why we no longer have Engels as an option as he wanted away, a management team motivated to do well and a team winning domestically, weaker isn’t even close and frankly ridiculous and stinks of someone sitting ready for a poor result to ignore all of the above and blame the board.
As said every team has deficiencies at this point, we need to deal with it,
19 Aug 2026 10:30:49
If we think the Europa League is our level, it’s through choice and we still wouldn’t be at that standard. At the moment with the board we have, our level is rank amateur!
19 Aug 2026 11:33:24
Jaa11
You’re missing the point. This isn’t just about Engels, it about our whole approach to be ready for what in front of us in a defined timeline. What part of 7 out of 9 failures in qualifying do you consider to be not an issue?
19 Aug 2026 12:17:32
You’re right Pedro,
Nancy lost 6 times in only 8 games and LASK never played in Europe last season.
I know the figures are a misconception but not losing is a good habit to get into.
Although Celtic had not been beat for a long time or only once all year but then we lost 7-1 in Dortmund.
Hopefully it’s similar for LASK tonight.
19 Aug 2026 13:44:46
I’m not missing anything, we’re playing a team that have actively and publicly said they will concentrate on internal player development and maximising players from there usual price pot, over trying to buy success, yet as fans some out outside can’t find positives in what we have already and concentrate on the small issues we have compared to a team like lask, I’m specifically discussing this fixture and the current squad but some are blinded by past failings.
To be fair I thought Same last year and put that exit firmly with br.
{Ed007's Note - Last years exit was 100% on Rodgers and the players, no matter where we are in transfers the Celtic should always be capable of beating a team of Kairat's level. LASK are a different kettle of fish but we should be too good for them, especially in the final third - and we have MON in there organising it, there will be nobody hiding out there tonight like against Kairat.}
19 Aug 2026 14:19:41
Nice one Buzzbomb, winning is indeed a good habit.
3-1 to the Hoops tonight!
HH.
19 Aug 2026 14:45:58
It will always be on the manager and the players but the frustration is that we have the financial muscle to move the needle in our favour and choose not to.