CELTIC fans were chanting ‘sack the board’ during the club’s humiliating Champions League exit to Kairat Almaty.
Tempers were already reaching boiling point before that transfer deadline day shambles on Monday night.
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But Celtic hero Charlie Mulgrew has stunningly BACKED the under-fire Hoops board over the chaotic transfer frenzy which left Brendan Rodgers scrambling for last-minute signings.
It will go down as one of the most disappointing deadline days for Celtic fans after they missed out on a number of targets with hours left to go in the window.
Kasper Dolberg was the main talking point as Celtic left it late to get a deal over the line for the Dane, allowing his former club Ajax to swoop in and hijack the transfer.
The Hoops were left scrambling for a last-minute replacement and had a loan approach turned down by Chelsea‘s David Datro Fofana who preferred a move to Charlton, only for that to collapse as well.
In the meantime, Celtic allowed Adam Idah to join Swansea despite Rodgers making it clear he would NOT be allowed to leave until another striker was signed.
Yang Hyun-Jun was in a similar position and saw his £3million move to Birmingham fall through.
Sebastian Tounekti ended up being the only deadline day signing for the Hoops in a major letdown, with fans hoping to see as many as three of even FOUR new players in the door.
Celtic did thrash out a deal for free agent Kelechi Iheanacho the following day, but that bit of business has done very little to calm fans down.
Fingers are being pointed at Michael Nicholson and the Celtic board for leaving it late in the transfer market once again.
But Celtic hero Mulgrew has defended Hoops chiefs over the disappointing window, revealing why he believes they cannot be criticised.
He’s been left frustrated by the lack of signings made as well, but has told Celtic fans it’s not worth moaning about – because it’s how Celtic operate.
Speaking on Go Radio, Mulgrew said: “I don’t think we can criticise the same group of people that have run such a great business model for years now, for however long, 25 years or however longer.
“They’re bringing players in for a certain price and selling them on and that’s why the club is in such a stable position.
“Now listen, I understand being a Celtic fan myself, I want to see signings come in the door. I’d love, let me just say, the first day of August, you see five, tens, and fifteen millions just getting thrown at teams.
“But the reality is, it’s not the way the game works. Obviously, Celtic are hard negotiators, maybe harder than other teams. And that’s why they’re getting a bit of stick.
“But listen, that’s the way they negotiate. It’s the way they’ve always done it. We can sit and moan about it, but it’s just the way Celtic operate.”
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