Sometimes, in life, love and business, we have to hold our hands up and say we fucked up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We are, after all, only human, and we all make mistakes. What is important is how we deal with those mistakes, and overwhelmingly, we find that until we admit them, and accept responsibility, we aren’t going to be able to deal with them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Peter Lawwell went on Celtic TV yesterday, to issue an apology for the decision to make the trip to Dubai that has more or less put the tin lid on a season that couldn’t have gone more badly wrong if we had put David Murray in charge of the finances.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And let’s face it, it was a disaster.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A tired looking CEO sat behind a desk in what looked like a cupboard deep in the bowels of Celtic Park, to answer the questions he wanted to in front of an interviewer, Gerry McCulloch, who played the part of Laura to Peter’s Boris.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lawwell, sounding like he had electricals attached to his testicles, said;<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been an extremely difficult few days.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOn reflection, looking back and with hindsight and looking at the outcome of the trip, clearly it was a mistake and for that I profoundly apologise to our supporters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He should have left it there…but instead, tried , somewhat lamely, to justify things…<\/p>\n \u201cWe left here and the rationale for the camp was very much with the best intentions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThings haven\u2019t gone the way we wanted to and the outcome is clearly very regrettable.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIf you look back over the last four years, going to the camp in Dubai has been extremely successful.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd the decisions we made in entirely for the best interests of the team and the best interests of the club.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we planned to do was take them to these facilities again, which are world-class, after a very hectic programme in November and December. which has in the past proven to be a great benefit in terms of performance after January, to get to that performance level again.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The flimsiest of excuses, though perhaps there is merit in them, though it’s hard to see. Living in a bubble may well have lessened the seriousness of the world wide effects of the virus, and maybe, just maybe, had he said that, we could have accepted it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, the argument kind of falls flat when you factor in the remarkable strides in sports science, diet , training and all round professionalism , which bought the club so much success have been abandoned since Neil Lennon took the job, so much so that it has affected performances on the pitch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s not that “rangers ” are so good, it’s that Celtic have been so bad we now face the unthinkable prospect of a trophyless season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And by casting aside the philosophy that made Celtic so dominant, he’s left himself wide open to a charge of neglect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But he still refuses to admit that, and until he does, and lays down a plan to rectify the problem, there will be criticism, and there will be demands for his resignation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As i said, we all make mistakes, and we all deserve a chance to put things right.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lawwell has the look of a man who is just hoping it all goes away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He will, along with the current manager, be remembered as one of the men who stopped the ten, a damning indictment for both considering the long and loyal service both have given.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Does it have to end like this ?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But there are several things that Lawwell, and Lennon, need to embrace in order to begin to gain the respect of the support.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This won’t happen until they stop blaming everything and anything they can think of. A glance in the mirror will show them the problem.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One major concern for the CEO is that there is a perception, with a not inconsiderable amount of evidence, that he welcomes the return of a rival from Ibrox.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Old Firm brand which some would argue is the major selling point of Scottish football. Yet at the same time sponsorship and investment from outside the game, including tv money, is pitiful.<\/p>\n Lawwell needs the Old Firm, and something that he has admitted which has a bearing on that is the real fear that the other clubs in Scotland will demand a share of the gate money at Celtic Park, which from the outside looks like a reasonable way of ensuring that Celtic have a league to play in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Would it not be a better idea to share league revenue with a dozen clubs than share champions League revenue with one ?\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At least it would be honest…..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The pandemic may yet lead to real change in football, all over Europe, and we need someone at the helm who is prepared to do a wee bit of thinking outside the box, instead of going along with the notion that we need to tolerate and forget what actually happened at Ibrox and the SFA around a decade ago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If we gloss over it, and try to continue in the same vein that brought about the liquidation of a major Scottish club, then we are as guilty as those who committed that crime.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A new way for the game is needed, one that accepts and encourages all clubs to be the best that they can.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is football outside Glasgow, and in order to have a truly competitive and truly marketable league, that needs to be realised and supported.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Change is almost certainly coming, is there a chance we can make it real and lasting ?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes, in life, love and business, we have to hold our hands up and say we fucked up. 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