There was a time when Celtic could land a blow on the heavyweights of the European game. These days, they’re a punchbag for second and third-rate sides

Daily Mail columnist John McGarry argues that Celtic have devolved into European 'punchbags' following a 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo at Celtic Park. Mika Baur initially opened the scoring for the Scottish champions before Javi Rodriguez netted a quickfire brace to hand Celta Vigo the victory. The result leaves Martin O'Neill's side 35th out of 36 clubs in the Europa League group stage.

McGarry criticizes the club's board for hollowing out the squad by selling key assets like Nicolas Kuhn, Arne Engels, and Daizen Maeda without adequate replacements. The writer contends that persistent boardroom mismanagement, defensive frailties, and a lack of European-level quality have reduced the Scottish side to an irrelevance on the continental stage despite their ongoing domestic dominance.