James McFadden believes Celtic supporters’ worst fears have been realised after a flat 0-0 draw with Kairat Almaty left the club’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

The former Scotland international spoke after Brendan Rodgers’ side failed to break down their Kazakh opponents at Celtic Park, resulting in a chorus of “sack the board” chants from frustrated fans. For McFadden, the result was the outcome many had seen coming.

“The Celtic fans had a fear that this was coming, and a fear that Celtic board were waiting to see whether they were going to be in the Champions League or not,” he said on BBC Sport. “And for me, they should always be doing their business to make sure they’ve got the players in, to get their team ready so that they can go and win this game and they don’t need to speculate whether they’re going to be in the Champions League or not.

“So there’s a lot of work still to be done for Celtic on the pitch and off the pitch.”

The board’s apparent reluctance to fully back the manager before such a crucial qualifying tie has come under intense scrutiny. Despite holding a financial advantage few Scottish clubs can match, Celtic entered the match with key gaps in their squad still unfilled. The lack of a proven striker, natural width, and now a fit right-back, after Alistair Johnston’s injury, have left the team short-handed when it matters most. A left-back is needed before the window slams shut in under two weeks.

With the second leg in Almaty looming and the derby against Rangers just days later, Celtic’s margin for error is vanishing fast. What should have been a confident step toward the league stage now feels like a warning the club failed to heed.

It’s a massive game for Celtic next week, who must win in hot temperatures, a 5-hour time difference and a 10-12 hour travel time, just to get there.