Flabbergasted Alex Rae took aim at the Celtic board after the appointment of Eddie Howe fell through.
The former Bournemouth boss was established as the clear front-runner for the job but no announcement had been made 13 weeks on from Neil Lennon's departure.
After the wait dragged on Celtic have confirmed the Friday afternoon bombshell that talks with the Englishman have broken down and he will not be arriving as boss.
In a statement they insist the collapse is down to reasons outwith the control of both Howe and the club - and also claimed they allowed him more time than usual as he'd previously intimated he wasn't ready to return to management until the summer.
However, Rae wasn't having any of it as he criticised the Parkhead hierarchy.
He told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard that the club can't shift the blame after three months of trying to find Lennon's successor.
He said: "The thing that strikes me is no one is to blame. It's outwith their control at Celtic, and it's from Eddie's point of view.
"That doesn't quite stack up for me. When you consider it's been ongoing for 13 weeks they should have had assurances well in advance of this.
"If it was a stumbling block with his coaching staff, or the guys he was trying to recruit from Bournemouth, surely you have that conversation when you have been approached for the job.
"Surely you get assurances from these guys. If it's not that, we heard about bonuses and Bournemouth's playoff situation. That's done now. There should not have been any stumbling blocks.
"For it to break down after 13 weeks is nothing short of astonishing.
"Celtic fans must be scratching their heads at the leadership, or the lack of leadership.
'We have been saying for months about the January review that never came, and they have been very silent over the following weeks in the process.
"Then this is what they fire out tonight, saying no one is to blame. It doesn't stack up for me."
