I’ve gone through several drafts of this trying to express my disappointment without singlehandedly filling every swear jar from Dumfries to Donegal and John O’Groats to Mizen Head.
It’s been a trying time to say the least for fans of Scotland’s premier club.
Elated and riding high after a 3-0 home win Celtic managed to capitulate in scenes reminiscent to the Battle of Stalingrad.
The wonder goals scored at Paradise were of little comfort on a night that started so promisingly and ended up one of the worst, if not the worst, in Celtic’s illustrious history.
Captain McGregor putting the Celts 4-0 up with an early goal for the visitors and it should have been “Goodnight Vienna” but instead the Austrian side turned on a performance that fans will remember forever.
Wave after wave of attack, and when Usor scored in the 32 min to draw the teams level on the night no one in green and white could have imagined what lay ahead in the second half.
I won’t bore you with details, we’ve all seen it, whether to cry some more, to be enraged or to laugh the Keystone Cops of Scottish football had by the final whistle in 90 mins thrown away a 4-0 lead.
4-4 and as I wrote on Bluesky “awaiting the inevitable”. It didn’t take long for LASK to split Celtic wide open and score a fifth in the 109th minute.
Champions League dreams over for yet another year. A scenario that’s becoming all too familiar at Celtic Park and whilst dropping into the Europa League isn’t quite the end of days I’m struggling personally to find the necessary appetite to get excited at this when the holy grail for Scottish clubs of a place in the Champions League group stages was well within our grasp. Celtic’s to lose and lose they did.
Defeat is painful, incredibly painful, but I’d like to say to the morons who caused Luke McCowan to close his Instagram after abuse including those wishing him dead. Y you’re not football fans you’re idiots grow the fuck up. Sure have a moan, criticise but there’s a line you don’t cross and you did. Absolutely shameful.
So to Thursday and Rangers in Poland. Now after Celtic’s defeat I could make loads of jokes about H*ns in Poland, like the German guy who’s stopped at the Polish border and asked “occupation?” and the German replies “no just visiting” but I’m too depressed.
Even the joy of Rangers crashing out of Europe altogether, on penalties, hardly lifted my spirits. There’s no blue pill to raise this mood.
Others fared with mixed results - Hibernian just missing out with a 3-2 home defeat by Belgian side Gent, Hearts doing better in Austria drawing 2-2, with Rapid Vienna qualifying for the Conference League winning 4-3 on penalties.
So with that pain out the way let’s move onto the weekend.
Celtic at home to Falkirk on Saturday. A nervy 2-1 victory for the Celts with a double from Duran. As the old adage says it ain’t over til the fat lady sings and as she was limbering up to laud Celtic with praise a Donovan own goal made the final 20 mins or so agony for the majority of the almost 59,000 crowd.
Before the match a banner was unfurled that read “world class embarrassment” - it was hard to argue otherwise.
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A 2-1 victory at home for Hearts over St Johnstone and a 4-0 demolition of Kilmarnock, who sit routed at the foot of the table with a UK Eurovision score of Nul points, by the enigmatic Dundee United.
So to Sunday, and Motherwell throwing away a 2 goal lead at St Mirren found themselves 3-2 down after 3 quick fire goals in ten minutes from the Saints and only a late 93rd min goal from Kanga (a wonder strike by the youngster) rescuing a point for the Steelmen.
Elsewhere, Hibernian managed to hold on for a 2-1 victory over Dundee at Dens Park.
The game of the weekend, at least in terms of once former great clubs, saw McInness' Rangers face Robinson's Aberdeen. This wasn’t a game of high quality (I feel I made have said that before about Rangers) the 3 points returning to Glasgow courtesy of a Shankland penalty. Of course I’m sure Rangers fans won’t be too concerned - after all a victory is a victory but this was not a great advert for Scottish football. Sloppy passing, wayward shots and at times disinterested looking players - Gassama who one minute looks like a world class player then disappears from view - add in a card happy referee who issued 9 yellows - 6 to Aberdeen and 3 to Rangers - and what we watched was a game of bizarre decisions, yellows that should have been reds, bookings for innocuous challenges while worse were ignored. Referee Matthew McDermid was determined to make himself the centre of attention.
Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson said after the match when asked for his thoughts said “if i tell you my thoughts I’ll get six match ban.” Well, no ban for me so I’ll say it instead. Appalling refereeing. Honestly the standards are slipping every week in Scotland and today’s showing was amateurish.
So that’s pretty much it for the summer - meteorological summer ends on the 31st August - it’s been a rough week but one we managed to navigate. Somehow.
So all that remains is for me to say thanks for listening to my moaning, have fun, stay safe be happy
Til next time ……
🐼 Gary Robertson is the TPQ Scottish football correspondent.
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