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“Luke McCowan is an easy scapegoat,” Paul Lambert
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- “Luke McCowan is an easy scapegoat,” Paul Lambert
"Luke McCowan is an easy scapegoat," Paul Lambert
Former Celtic skipper Paul Lambert reckons Luke McCowan is just an easy scapegoat, and says the entire squad must take blame for Celtic's Champions League disaster in Linz on Tuesday night…
LASK vs Celtic. Linz, Austria , 25.August 2026 – UEFA Champions League, play-off, Linzer ASK vs Celtic Glasgow. Image shows Joao Tornich LASK and Luke McCowan Celtic. Photo GEPA pictures Christian Moser IMAGO
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Paul Lambert is the latest ex-Hoops star to give his thoughts on Tuesday's European disaster in Linz and he certainly dished out a few home truths for the entire Celtic squad.
Lambert, a former Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund , as well as being the man who skippered the Hoops in the 2003 UEFA Final defeat to Porto, is experienced enough to give his ten cents worth, and he didn't hold back in his assessment of the entire situation.
August 25, 2025, Oberoesterreich Arena Linz, AUT, Champions League Playoff, LASK Linz AUT vs. Celtic Glasgow FC SCO pictured: Christoph Lang LASK vs. Luke McCowan Celtic Glasgow in the Champions League Playoff, LASK Linz AUT vs. Celtic Glasgow FC SCO in Linz, Austria, on August 25, 2026 Linz, Upper Austria, Austria. Photo IMAGO
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In particular he was keen to point out that Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan was just an easy scapegoat in the dreadful capitulation against LASK who came back from 4-0 down to win the tie 5-4.
Celtic treble winner Lambert – speaking via Scottish Sun on behalf of the Hand of Hope campaign raising £100K from a football art auction – reckons the entire Celtic team need to stand up and be counted.
IMAGO/Sven Simon. Paul Lambert (vorn) und Stefan Reuter (beide BVB) laufen mit dem Pokal eine Ehrenrunde nach dem Champions League Sieg 1996/1997
He said: "There are two ways to look at Luke's situation. Firstly, don't do social media in the first place – you don't need it, he has done the right thing.
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"And secondly, when you play for Celtic you need to have real big cajones. You have to take the ball anywhere in that pitch, it doesn't matter if you're having a bad game.
"Luke McCowan is an easy scapegoat. The boy never meant to lose the ball and I think it's too easy here to say he was the only one at fault. If you look at the goals Celtic lost, he wasn't involved in some of them.
Luke McCowan of Celtic reacts after the match LASK v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, Austria – 25 Aug 2026Linz Raiffeisen Arena. Photo Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock IMAGO
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"And the one where he lost the ball at the edge of the box, he had nobody to pass to, so he had to try and run it. He could have played it long, but there were no angles for him and he tried to run it out.
"But my advice to him is if you are a footballer and you don't want to be criticised, then stay off social media."
Lambert admitted he was still in shock at the manner in which his old side threw away such a commanding lead, but like so many, says the warning signs were there .
Cameron Carter-Vickers of Celtic and Luke McCowan of Celtic. LASK v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, Austria – 25 Aug 2026Linz Raiffeisen Arena: Photo Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock
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He said: "They shouldn't have lost the game from the position they were in, but the warning signs were there. LASK had 60 attempts at goal over the two games which indicates Celtic weren't running, tackling or doing the ugly side of the game to win matches."
LASK vs Celtic, Linz 25 August 2026 – UEFA Champions League, play-off, the disappointment of Luke McCowan, Reo Hatate and Kasper Hogh. GEPA pictures/Manuel Binder/ IMAGO
Interesting words indeed from Paul Lambert, the current crop of Celtic players would be wise to take notice. They looked like lost Bhoys in Linz and that can't be allowed to happen again. Martin O'Neill will look to make sue that it doesn't.
Brian Wilson, Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson overseeing 2 x £40m Champions League misses…
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And while Paul Lambert is right to blame the entire squad, the reach of his criticism could and should have gone further to include a Celtic Board who never learn their lessons. Change is certainly needed.
And speaking to BBC Scotland post-match on Tuesday night Paul Lambert hit the nail on the head about the awful Celtic performance against LASK.
"If you look over the two games the better team won," the former Celtic skipper noted. "I don't think Celtic helped themselves. Some of the decision-making on the field was ludicrous from Celtic's point of view. The first goal, it's incredible how they gave that away."
"I worked under the manager for five years and the one thing he demanded is that you get close to people," Lambert said. "If you're not stopping a cross or putting tackles in, that's the fundamentals of football."
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Despite Celtic signing four players – Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan – before the play-off, Lambert like the entire Celtic support reckoned that the Celtic squad was still underprepared.
"You'd have to live on the moon not knowing those two games are coming up. O'Neill would demand players that would be ready made for this team, not developing players.
Martin O'Neill, Manager of Celtic looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 Play off round second leg match between LASK and Celtic at on August 25, 2026 in Linz, Austria. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
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"They need ready-made players as getting into the Champions League is getting more and more difficult. They need to watch that they don't become a Conference League team.
"A lot of the players have had it their own way for a lot of years. It's when things like this happen you need people to step up and really take it on the chin.
"I know how the manager works, I know how he thinks, and he'll take responsibility to relieve the pressure on the players. But those players have to look at themselves as well and say 'We didn't do enough,'" Lambert said.
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