Peter Lawwell has returned to Celtic as chairman, stepping up to replace the outward bound Iain Bankier.
The feeling among Celtic fans is akin to watching the ever popular pundit Alex Rae driving off a cliff in your brand new car.
Bankier, the vaccuuous chief who once called supporters anti semitic for their criticisms of Lord Livingston of Parkhead, a fellow board member, won’t be missed. It wouldn’t take too long to list his achievements whilst in office.
Lawwell returns to the club after departing under a cloud when Celtic failed to achieve ten league titles in a row. Much has yet to be written about that particular season, and frankly no one wants to write it, as it’s best forgotten.
By focusing on the ten , and prizing it above everything else, Celtic gave credence to the old firm myth, and by not celebrating the far greater achievement of four consecutive trebles, something else we seem to have forgotten, the whole thing got out of hand and the season crashed and burned.
The exile imposed on Lawwell is now over, and he can assume once more his rightful, at least according to him, place at Celtic Park.
He’s not the CEO any more, though Michael Nicholson, who is, will feel his hand on his shoulder far too often, as Lawwell does not like to be subservient to anyone, and the move to bring him back is therefore already fraught with danger.
What is interesting is the lack of media analysis of the move, considering it’s possible implications.
There has been neither praise nor criticism of the move, a sign that Celtic can control what is written about them after all…..
For Lawwell, technically, it is a demotion…..
He used to be the Chief Executive Officer….
The responsibilities of an organization’s CEO are set by the organization’s board of directors or other authority, depending on the organization’s structure. They can be far-reaching or quite limited, and are typically enshrined in a formal delegation of authority regarding business administration. Typically, responsibilities include being an active decision-maker on business strategy and other key policy issues, leader, manager, and executor. The communicator role can involve speaking to the press and the rest of the outside world, as well as to the organization’s management and employees; the decision-making role involves high-level decisions about policy and strategy. The CEO is tasked with implementing the goals, targets and strategic objectives as determined by the board of directors.
As an executive officer of the company, the CEO reports the status of the business to the board of directors, motivates employees, and drives change within the organization. As a manager, the CEO presides over the organization’s day-to-day operations.[5][6][7] The CEO is the person who is ultimately accountable for a company’s business decisions, including those in operations, marketing, business development, finance, human resources, etc.
The use of the CEO title is not necessarily limited to describing the owner or the head of a company. For example, the CEO of a political party is often entrusted with fundraising, particularly for election campaigns.
The big cheese…the head honcho…numero uno.
You get the drift….
Now he is the chairman….
A person presiding over a meeting. The head of a corporate or governmental board of directors, a committee, or other formal entity. quotations
Oh, he’ll love that.
The statue you mention will be comissioned down ibrox way he is after all the saviour of the new entity that plays out of there….
UCL qualification, RES 12 , EBT’S and the 5 way agreement and now VAR . Yet our media look elsewhere for/at corruption
I feel numb with frustration that this cnt is back in office!
This won’t end well.
I won’t be able to read the comments because of the black lines but Ralph I thought your points were pretty fair. As long as Ange and the CEO are able to get on with their jobs I accept it. We all knew it was coming. I have been a CEO and later chair of the organisation’s Board, a very small organisation I hasten to add. The onus is on the Chair to ensure he steps back from his previous role. Lawwell made a considerable contribution to our recent success, made mistakes too. Take a back seat Peter, quite far back actually.
Just in case your ‘black lines’ issue clears up, can you quantify how “Lawwell made a considerable contribution to our recent success”
55,000 Season Ticket Holders + 5,000 public sale tickets snapped up, all go to see Celtic play and with a manager with a brilliant non-stop attacking style, so much the better.
This to occupy a stadium that Lawwell had nothing to do with financing, organising or anything of the build of.
This is the bedrock of our finances, along with catering/merchandising/hospitality etc also largely input by fans and nothing to do with any CEO.
This enables us to pay to put the best team on the pitch domestically, consequently winning most trophies, earning prize money, European qualification, attracting major sponsorship etc.
This was all done without any key input from Lawwell and it’s after this where his ‘added value’ comes up but where/what is?
It’s not in Europe, it’s not in (I hate this) ‘asset management’ (just compare us to top teams in Portugal and Netherlands) and i don’t see where we’ve attracted any sponsorship in excess value of what a successful club like us so achieve.
Can you document his individual successes, as opposed to him simply being Johnny on the Spot, when the fans have provided the bedrock to fund this?
Of course, he also bore responsibility to hold the authorities to account when our club was disadvantaged (financial, officiating etc) and we all know his considerable success there.
Cha I agree about the stadium being key but you have to have teams to fill it. I have been in Celtic Park with 12 k fans and the capacity was above 72 k. Also the transfer policy that brought good players like Victor, Virgil, KT was successful. The appointment of Rodger’s was one he must hsve influenced. Neil Lennon did well until his last season snd the appointment iin the shower was unprofessional.
Sat on his backside with a smirk after shaking on McGinn with the agent and thought he could save a million or two by waiting till the summer while the agent had an eye on his mobile and accepted other offers and seeing yet another 30 million plus quid wasted while Celtic again consistently dithered on signings year after year, is this the beginning of the end of Ange, same as Bren? Lawwell does not know how to speculate, a typical bird in the hand rather than two in the bush and a control freak. Just as I was enjoying advent for the first time in a couple of years, along comes this years crisis. HH!
Borncelt Everything you say hear echoes how I feel, I was so happy when Lawwell left, now I feel anxious because I think the club has made a mistake.
Don’t want to make you more anxious M,but,Ange will have left Celtic by the summer of 2025.Enjoy him while he’s here and PL isn’t minded to be rid of him but away he will be.
4 years is quite a long time these days for a manager to make his mark, hopefully in Europe, which has to be the key measure of success.
If he goes then, we’ve significantly improved the team (not squad fillers), recruitment/development is massively, professionally improved (we’re not still essentially leaving it all to him) and a proper successor (not a Lennon or other simply cheap Celtic Minded candidate) then it’ll all be to the good.
I’m not sure that we’re on the road to doing that (Johnston is a downgrade on Jura, Yuki a prospect) and everything still in Ange’s hands with no sign of that changing.
By that time, he’ll be 60 and perhaps considered too old for a crack at a so-called, bigger league, EPL etc.
I think next year will be key, can we improve in UCL and sadly I have my doubts.
Leipzig and Shakhtar were probably amongst the best 2nd and 3rd seed options we could’ve got and we didn’t come close to beating them.
How are we set to improve on that?
Recruitment (certainly not so far), better finishing (there’s no evidence that the same players will do better) plus defending/ball retention similar.
If we don’t improve in Europe next year where’s the incentive for the manager to stick around if he sees the ‘ready now’ higher quality players aren’t going to be recruited?
Thank you, can only hope he sees the good in just sitting back but we live in the real world. HH!
Here
No matter if Lawell answered all those questions favourably I wouldn’t believe him. How do you trust a person that can lie so easily?
Can we see Pedro changing his spots.dont think so.hes a clever and devious and cookie who in his own mind will prob think the fans have to make up with him and not the other way about.so we’ll get a few token gestures and soundbites about huns from him.
My big worry is if he pisses Ange off.that would be totally unforgiveable.
Why would it p Ange off?
Hes already clarified he’s on board with the approach.
Hence why he’s happy a 24 year prospect comes in mid Season to replace a proven Croatian International.
Correct
Cos I dont think Ange puts up with interference..and pretty sure he knows a player..and when to sell a player
Can’t see a coward like Lawwell confronting our big Aussie. At least not to his face.
Hail Hail.
Even though it was well signposted, my heart sank when he was confirmed as
Chairman. If there was ever an appointment that was designed to drive a wedge between the fans and the board this was it. It was all going so well too.
So there was no wedge between the board and fans before PL returned?
Could not agree more. As long as he does not interfere, so be it. Don’t think we will ever get the truth regarding the 5 way agreement.
.Although Peter Lawwell May have physically left the building Peter Lawwell has never actually left the building.
He has a 356,000 Shareholding in Celtic and the Financial Approach adopted by Celtic under him in and around 2012-13 has never been dropped or altered since.
when Ange broke cover only a few weeks ago to more or less rubber stamp the Lawwelball approach to both Transfers and Finances at the Club it was then I realised at least he was also on Board with it.
Sure he rolled in glitter a bit by stating that if we do sell then it will only be for the betterment of Celtic going forward.
Then almost as the ink was drying on the Media Upload we get the news that Juranovic may well be sold in January (as rumours of the imminent arrival of Canadian RB Johnston got louder) and GG’s Contract situation stalled this starting yet more rumours he too will be punted in January.
All of this despite Celtic entering into a new financial year with £30m cash sat in the Bank ,the 2angers imploding and us looking highly likely to win our 2nd Title on the bounce and with that immediate access to a 2nd years Champions League windfall.
Then Peter Lawwell miraculously returns within the week.
if Ralph or anyone else out there believed anything has changed in our approach in the last 10 days at Celtic let alone the last 10 years then sorry you need to go to get both your eyes and ears tested.
Lawwellball was introduced at Celtic so Celtic could somehow close the gap in Europe by financing through the Transfer Market.
The last 10 years have only proved one aspect of this to have come true.
Celtic have been Financially prosperous in this period.
Only a Covid struck period has blighted this as it has every other Club in Europe but in different ways.
Some Clubs were pushed to the brink.
We had a blip.
But simultaneously our prospects in Europe have been adversely affected as we have gone from European Finalist in the 10 years between 2002-03 t Last 16 in the CL under Strachan and Lennon to Lost 17 in the CL in the last decade under the constraints of Lawwelball.
It is as clear as the smirk on Peter Lawwells face that this approach is not improving our chances in Europe but rather it is hindering them.
A quick cursory glance across the river at the spending at Ibrox and the retention of their player in both 2008 and 2021 confirms that if you invest in more quality and retain your best players that gap can be closed.
The minute the 2angers punted both Aribo and Bassey for financial gain it all fell apart for them in Europe.
These facts are not coincidental.
The only winner in January if we sell both Juranovic and Giakoumakis is the Investor’s at Celtic.
Of which Dermot Desmond is the chief beneficiary.
given he’s both the single major shareholder and preference shareholder at Celtic.
Nothing has changed at Celtic and to compound matters further it would appear we have a Board appointed yes man in Control of the side.
Who is apparently fully on board with whatever they have planned long term.
No Manager in their right mind would punt two key assets in January with so much at stake and so much Capital sat in the Bank.
Celtic could comfortably keep both until the Summer and bring these “upgrades” in regardless.
It is a complete nonsense to first weaken your side in order to later strengthen it with replacements.
The last decade of Lawwelball has more than proved that.
You can roll that wee jobby in as much glitter as you want bit it’s still a wee jobby going round the U bend at Celtic.
I think too many are believing SMSM , who you all should know are totally anti-Celtic . SMSM go on about Celtic players leaving , eventually they will be right . They even have Ange taking over as Manager at two positions that there are no vacancies.
Ange has had an almost perfect domestic record , he will want to maintain & knows the value & importance of our players
Ange confirmed he’s comfortable with whatever happens in January.
That should be setting alarm bells ringing in your ears.
Is he a board appointed yes man?
Hence why he was more than happy to see Lawwell Jnr rock up at CP?
If both Juranovic and Giakoumakis are sold in January (both less than 2 years into 5 year deals) whilst we are sat on £30m cash at the Bank then questions have to asked of Ange I’m afraid.
O’Neill would never have put up with this mid season with so much at risk in the Summer.
Not a chance.
Hence why they chose to back him fully both in acquiring and retaining his best assets.
Since we have employed this approach at Celtic we’ve gone from Last 16 to lost 17 in the Champions League.
Thats no progression on the Park that’s regression.
The progression has been financially off of it and there are only a few at Celtic who directly benefit from this.
Lawwell being one of them Desmond being the other.
Have a wee peek at the Preference Shares at Celtic.
Lawell always the accountant would cut of his nose to save a buck. This he did on various occasions to the detriment of Celtic Football Club. He is a dithered and Ange will not put up with that. As for the Mankys they are in overdrive both in the gutter press and social media about the second coming of Mickey. Keevins today doing his usual slavering, McKeown writing the biggest lot of drivel. You would not realise there was a World Cup going on with the Medusa fixation on Sevco. Looking forward to the Green and White future. You put a lot of hope in Lawell seeing the right way, he will be another Wankier.
DD’s deltight at endorsing Sneaky Pete’s return festers of old pals’ nostalgia, hardly a professional approach. Even if we were to put aside the very worst of Lawell’s defects (general stubbornness, lack of empathy with the support, poor foresight, inability to defend the club’s honour when under attack, clumsy meddling in recruitment matters etc etc), all of which were clearly on the increase as time went on during his tenure as CEO, it is most definitely a step backwards to give him the chair. I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be a giant leap in the wroing direction and that Nicholson shows the strength of character to keep him well away from the football side of things.
BJF,PL made a considerable contribution to ‘recent’ success? Decades of domination,including a 9 in a row and Quadruple Treble,our most successful period in Our Unbroken History.His work behind the scenes in Europe regarding FFP has been excellent and has led to the plucky newcomers having to tread very carefully.He has made mistakes,who hasn’t? He is an out and out Celtic man,would you rather have a Dave type hovering about the Club?
crap.
Whatever way you look at it he dedicated years to the club and this looks like a golden handshake. It could have been Michel Kelly’s son so there’s a bright side. Ange will just call him mate in their first meeting and like Stein a marker will be set.
An interesting decision. Certainly shows DD trusts Lawell. Lowell oversaw both good and bad. Undoubted domination domestically and some allegedly dodgy stuff allowing the basket of assets oxygen. The issue DD needs to consider is that the fans aka paying customers dislike Lawell and we’ve been doing just fine without him! He was best advised to take his pension and ride off into the sunset. A poor decision in my view
The UK Corporate Governance Code doesn’t like ex-CEOs coming back as executive Chairmen. PL’s gig is non-executive Chairman. As such he’ll have no power to stop or hinder the executive team carrying out their remit & will be limited to an advisory role.
Back in the day Reid was made Chairman alledgedly so that Celtic & the major shareholder could get access to his political & central government (esp home office) connections. PL doesn’t have any of those but he does at UEFA. & at a time when the UEFA football structure is apparently planning a major shake-up. Coincidence? Alternatively, this could all be just a retirement present en lieu of a carriage clock.
The media savvy Reid popped up in a few interviews over the back of the bus thing but was generally not seen & the only thing I remember about Bankier was him non-answering a few questions at an AGM. So we’re unlikely to see much of PL in this new role.
Just read today’s diary…Pete is and will always be about Pete.
He gets attention for all the wrong reasons.. in my opinion
If we are supposedly moving forward then why appoint a dinosaur.. lazy appointment, just like Lennon was and we all know what happened there…