Celtic’s European decline should shame those entrusted with this club. In 1967, the Lisbon Lions showed what courage, conviction and a shared footballing purpose could achieve. What would those Lions make of tonight, and of the European failures that keep preceding it?

We have the stadium. We have the supporters. We have money in the bank. Yet, in my view, the ambition at the top falls disgracefully short of the commitment in the stands.

Desmond and this board have exhausted their excuses. Celtic need new leadership and proven expertise throughout the football operation: recruitment, coaching, player development and long-term planning. Every appointment must serve a clear ambition to compete in Europe.

Supporters cannot be expected to honour the Lions’ legacy while accepting standards that betray its spirit. Fundamental change is overdue.

The 2–1 defeat against Celta Vigo leaves Celtic with no points from three Europa League matches. Nine goals conceded, three scored. Two defeats at home. This is Europe’s second competition, yet we look woefully underprepared for its demands.

Beating Hearts 7–1 cannot disguise four successive European defeats and fourteen goals conceded. Domestic success offers no shelter from that reckoning.

Celtic’s European decline: the brutal numbers

Even the 3–0 home win against LASK contained a warning: the visitors recorded 20 attempts. Football Web Pages then counted 41 in the 5–1 return-leg humiliation, including extra time.

Ferencváros registered 14 attempts in their 3–1 victory at Celtic Park. Benfica produced 26 while beating us 4–1. That totals 101 opposition attempts before tonight.

The Celta statistics published by Voetbal International showed another 22 attempts in stoppage time, against Celtic’s eight. On that basis, Celtic had allowed at least 123 attempts across five European fixtures.

That is a running minimum, rather than a certified final campaign total. These are total attempts, including blocked shots, not shots on target. The distinction matters. So does the appalling pattern.

A better performance, another failure

Tonight offered more encouragement than Lisbon. Mika Baur scored in the 47th minute, Haissem Hassan supplied attacking menace, and Liam Scales headed against the bar.

However, Javi Rodríguez scored in the 68th and 71st minutes to overturn Celtic’s lead. Three minutes transformed a promising position into another defeat. We could not recover.

I saw improvement. I did not see a team with enough control, resilience or quality in reserve. Once Celta seized the initiative, Celtic looked desperately short of answers.

Callum McGregor must face scrutiny alongside everyone else. Too often, our possession leaves Scales searching for an opening while the midfield fails to dictate proceedings. Where are the combinations through pressure? Where is the authority when the match turns?

Martin O’Neill and his coaches own that tactical responsibility. A flawed transfer policy cannot excuse every failure of organisation.

Recruitment has left Celtic without enough answers

Celtic’s own financial statement records £31.6m committed to six permanent summer signings. Therefore, this argument must go beyond demanding that someone spend money. What matters is whether the spending builds a coherent, competitive team.

After the LASK exit came loans for Oliver Sørensen, Sam Johnstone and Chelsea youngsters Landon Emenalo and Shim Mheuka. Emenalo arrived carrying an injury and completed his rehabilitation with Chelsea before checking in during October.

How did that approach meet the immediate demands of European football?

Johnstone was not the reason Celtic lost tonight. Nevertheless, bringing in a goalkeeper on loan from Wolves forms part of a wider question about planning and continuity.

Osmand went off after 58 minutes. Forrest, Høgh, Sørensen and Tounekti were the substitutes asked to change the game. None delivered the intervention we needed.

Forrest is 35. His service deserves respect, but continued reliance on him exposes the succession planning. Høgh, Sørensen and Tounekti have yet to convince me they provide the European impact this squad requires.

Meanwhile, Jota was absent from the matchday squad. Seventeen-year-old Joseph Haney was on the bench, with Tierney starting at left-back. Donovan, now 20, and Murray started in defence. Published appearance records put Murray on just 26 competitive Celtic outings, including tonight.

Young players need support. They should never become the board’s explanation for a squad lacking dependable depth.

O’Neill’s optimism needs evidence

After tonight’s defeat, O’Neill maintained that Celtic can still qualify. That assessment demands a response: what, beyond mathematical possibility, supports such confidence?

Three defeats, no points and nine goals conceded offer a brutal answer. Yes, qualification remains mathematically possible. However, possibility is a desperately low standard for Celtic. Supporters deserve a convincing explanation of how this team will improve, rather than another appeal to believe.

Beşiktaş visit next on November 5. Then come Torreense away, Omonia away, Marseille at home and Union Saint-Gilloise away. Three remaining away trips and the Thursday-to-Sunday workload will test precisely the depth already failing us.

Desmond must answer for this direction

Our European history since 1967 includes another final in 1970 and Seville in 2003. Decline has never been an uninterrupted straight line. The financial gulf has widened enormously, too.

However, history and economics cannot excuse this season’s preparation. For me, this is managed decline: leadership repeatedly accepting inadequate European standards while domestic results provide cover.

We keep waiting until the building is burning before discussing repairs. Recruitment, coaching, succession planning and football leadership require fundamental change.

I want Desmond out. I want accountability throughout the football operation. Celtic should be judged by their ambition and competitiveness in Europe. This cycle of humiliation is a disgrace, and those responsible have exhausted their excuses.