If Peter Lawwell left the building last year, the final chapter would have been about nine-in-a-row and four consecutive trebles. His legacy (which we will cover at the end of the season) would have been a more straightforward matter to document. Instead, he gets to own a bad season, a cautionary tale to incoming chief executive, Dominic McKay. This job never goes to plan.
He arrived at the club in late 2003 at a time when the lemmings of Scottish football were heading for the cliffs. Celtic had just posted a £11.6m loss despite reaching the Uefa Cup Final, a sum that was dwarfed by Rangers’ £29.6m loss. We lost money every season since Fergus McCann left four years earlier. His first challenge was straightforward, remain competitive and don’t follow Rangers over the edge.
Martin O’Neill was replaced by Gordon Strachan who in his first season had to work with a reduced budget. Revenues grew as the club’s commercial operation matured, so Gordon’s budget soon passed that of Martin’s. Celtic enjoyed a period of financial stability, domestic success and for the first time reached the knock out stages of the Champions League, until then, a fabled nirvana.
If you think this season is the darkest period of Peter’s tenure you have forgotten about 2011. Gordon lost the league for the first time in 2009, Tony Mowbray lost his only title in 2010 and Neil Lennon lost at the first time of asking in 2011. In the autumn of 2011, we dropped 10 points behind Rangers, who were on track for four-in-a-row.
For me, who started writing a blog about the need for financial stability, those years were a real challenge. We were paying our bills but there is no obligation on football fans to take an interest in the club’s accounts, all most want to see is a winning team, and Rangers were winning what mattered. This debate played out for years on CQN. Some of us knew Rangers were going to crash and burn, although it was not until 2011 that I realised how spectacularly that was going to happen. Others on here talked of “Jam tomorrow”.
It was likely but never inevitable that Rangers would become insolvent. Peter chose a path that guaranteed our survival over matching Rangers’ losses. It made him unpopular, but he felt it was the right path to follow. I agreed.
The world changed in season 2011-12. David Murray sold Rangers to Craig Whyte, an experienced insolvency expert. Craig had a plan to liquidate Rangers, phoenix with a Newco and become incarnate as the body and soul of Oldco.
CQN was always active on Rangers finances, they were as pertinent to the success of Celtic as our own, but I went out on a limb in October that year, with what was a prescient blog, The prepack route for Rangers Newco FC. I predicted Rangers liquidation, the consequential space in the SPL, the consequences for the TV deal, sponsorship deals and for other clubs. I explained how Newco would try to join the top flight and finished with a call to arms to stop it, all months before any of it happened.
Celtic said very little during this period but the role Peter Lawwell played in stopping Newco Rangers slipping straight into the top flight was absolute. The prescience and call to arms in that blog and the many that followed in the months to come, were well informed.
The rise of Neil Lennon as manager culminated in that night against Barcelona in November 2012 but the sands were already shifting below our feet. Barcelona was a peak, not a new plateau. Ronny Deila was manager before he was ready. He won leagues but fatefully blew Champions League qualification.
The appointment of Brendan Rodgers was nothing to do with Dermot Desmond watching Newco directors celebrate a semi-final win at Hampden, Dermot was on an aeroplane by then, it was more about chance. Brendan was out of work, a Celtic fan and in need of a place to restore his managerial reputation. Despite the titles, Celtic were flagging. He filled the stands, boosted every revenue stream and won five trophies, before leaving us at the altar of back-to-back trebles.
Few of us were inspired when Neil Lennon was appointed permanent manager after securing that second treble against Hearts. Brendan was sacked by Liverpool, Neil ‘mutual-ed’ by Hibs, by any measure, a downgrade. That night in Rome 14 months ago, when Celtic recorded their first win on Italian soil, the decision look inspired, but not for the first time, the sands were already shifting below our feet.
The collapse this season had been nothing to do with fans not being at games, players isolating or any other nefarious reason. We got our football operations wrong, it is as simple as that. You and I will regret this for a long time, as will Peter Lawwell.
We will lose the league to a Newco Rangers who (pre-crisis) have annual losses approaching Oldco’s when Peter took over. Losing the league hurts, but financial fundamentals ultimately determine the future. This lesson from the Peter Lawwell era will endure. Good luck to Dominic McKay, he has a big sharp suit to fill.
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An appropriate article to herald Big Peter’s departure.
Welcome Big Dom……….get that suit pressed and ditch the eggy baw, its a man’s game for you now Bhoy.
HH.
CONEYBHOY
I hope that Dominic McKay is a step up on Peter Lawwell and will dispense with a mere driveway and insist on having a heated runway.
You heard it here first.
The record books will show that he appointed a manager on instruction from the board after he won a scottish cup having already delivered a league title, who then went on to win another 3 trophies.
I still cannot get it that people say “it was the wrong appointment”.
Is someone else came in and did not win 8 and 9 , then that would have been the wrong appointment.
If we had changed managers last summer and not won 10, it would also have been the wrong appointment.
I wonder if the new guy will be on the same financials as the departing CEO, and I bet PL is going with some early retirement package.
If the new guy hasn’t started yet then he can’t change the football dept until he does. He can converse with the current staff etc and give opinion but can’t pull the trigger; that’s for Pistol Pete
Hrvatski Jim 😂
PL — lifted £20mill from us over the years.
Not sure we got value for money.
If fact we got nothing but platitudes and self serving.
In the name of the wee man we have banned 1 of our own blogs from attending press conferences.
REALLY
After all the shoite that The Daily Ranger and The Scottish Hun put out and they are not banned.
Sky not banned.
Radio shortbread not banned.
Radio Snyde not banned.
We put Hairy-arse fencing up and ban our own blogs.
Dearly Deary me
D :)
AULDHEID on 29TH JANUARY 2021 12:52 PM
Following on from our exchange of posts the other week I took your advice and joined the Celtic Trust.
I also as you suggested emailed Paul67 for your email address but haven’t had a reply. Not sure if he’s mentioned it to you but thought I’d check?
Keep up the great work and hope to see you in a CST meeting in due course.
HH
SAINT STIVS:
Believe me when I say this or not; I have never care whether Lennon won the 9 or indeed the 10.
It was the wrong appointment because Lennon had done nothing to merit getting the job. His career CV was not up to snuff. His failures at Bolton and Hibs, and his time at Celtic Park, saw a number of issues arise in his conduct and persona which should have been disqualifying even if he’d had the glittering managerial record.
The board’s responsibility was to put us in the best possible position for winning those titles, and they appointed a third rate choice and a yes man.
They all carry the can for that. It would have been the wrong appointment even if it had proved a successful one. That’s been my view from the start and even hitting the target would not have changed my mind about it. I am as shocked about it today as I was at the time it happened.
New bloke — the St Als angle is troublesome.
Another privately educated chinless wonder to lord over us.
Drives a yacht — so much for the social cohesion element of our history.
fairly accurate appraisal of pl term of office steadied ship when this was needed and made numerous beneficial deals on and of park
on the whole has to be seen as very successful for the club
mistakes were made but imho the longevity of his term was the main one it resulted in stagnation and complacency
best of luck to him for the future and welcome aboard Dominic and all the best in the new era
HH
The new guy has background in Marketing I believe. His name was mentioned about three years ago to me and a coupe of mates. It then went quiet until last year and he mentioned it again with – “Its going to happen”.
How right he was !.
Welcome Dom – You’ve got a job on your hands.
There’s loads of Bhoys on here whose views I follow closely – especially those who know The Game and live Celtic. Their measured, reasoned opinions on the mismanagement that The Club has suffered under Peter’s stewardship are well regarded and noted.
There are the odd few who have let themselves down in their snyde and vitriolic comments -in-fact they made it some sort of weird badge of honour…..awful to read………… and then there are the wee sleekit huns pretending to be Tims who never say one
word of genuine affection for us.
Aye.
MADMITCH:
Heard today he’s a Celtic die-hard. That matters but only in one sense. In the grander sweep it doesn’t matter a damn and neither does his education or how much money he has in the bank.
One criteria matters; can he do the job?
His CV suggests that he’ll be a solid and steady presence. If he keeps from showboating, butting into areas which aren’t his concern and focuses on representing us well and honourably, that’ll do just fine.
A record as ceo that most likely, won’t be matched in my lifetime. Made lots of mistakes for certain and that might make an interesting article too, but he played his part in safe guarding the club we all love. During the financial madness in the years outlined by Paul, many of us would have chased Rangers pound for pound and gone over the cliff with them. 29 trophies ? But more importantly Still Celtic.
The board critics aren’t the only ones guilty of “snyde and vitriolic comments” and who wear them “like a badge of honour.” Some of our critics indulge in exactly the same.
Just saying.
ERNIE LYNCH on 29TH JANUARY 2021 1:20 PM
HEADTHEBALL on 29TH JANUARY 2021 1:13 PM
‘ Yes, mistakes have been made but who doesn’t do that?’
###
The handling of Res 12 wasn’t a mistake, though, was it?
It was a sustained process of dissembling and deceit.
====================
One of the little known outcomes of the dissembling is that it cost £11,266 in legal fees to present the results of the requistioners work to the SFA and UEFA .
Part of that bill was met by contributions from CQN folk but a larger element came from a few individuals who thought up until 2018 Celtic were serious.
In effect that money was raised under a false pretense. The individuals now realise this and are ok about it in terms of my honest persuasion.
Me? This post would be deleted if I let my feelings on that issue show because when the bills arrived I had no idea how to get them paid and thank God for Winning Captains efforts on the crowd funding and Persistence Beats Res12tance T shirts. If anyone still has one hold on to it in case a future Celtic museum wants one.
However as I said earlier this morning, anger should be as much if not more directed at that mob of cheats who put Celtic in the invidious position of accepting the 5 Way Agreement.
JF @ 1.46
I’m looking for innovation / expanded horizons / ambition / hard work at all levels.
The SRU is a tough gig — very like Yorkshire Cricket Club — nest of vipers with lots of competing factions and egos.
Loads of blazers and hangars on.
So I can understand why he took the job.
However there has not been a lot of innovation recently at the SRU so that is a worry — selling booze on matchdays was low hanging fruit.
My take on Peter Lawell for what it is worth is that he was really good at what he done. Unfortunately power went to his head and he ended up having way too much say in the football side of things . He should have delegated more, always a good quality for a man at the top of an organisation . If he had just stuck to what he did best and trusted his appointments to get on with the job in hand without meddling he might have left with his head held high . Ive got to say though for me the BIG thing I cant forgive him for is how he lied to the fans regarding res 12 . I will give him a slight benefit of the doubt in that he was probably acting on DDs instructions . If you really loved Celtic though Peter that was the time to move on . You dont lie to the people you claim to love . DD still worries me , he seemed to be once again having a dig at the fans with his piece this morning about the changes. How dare they ask questions of a failling board
Good article, but lest we forget , as the ‘sands shifted; our CEO was completely unaware of which way they were shifting and carried on regardless. Yesterday’s Man.
That’s the lesson here.
Maybe PL didn’t fancy being shouted at by.. Roy Keane?…… Keane. Neville, Duff….. The new dream team…
MADMITCH:
What you say about sponsorship etc, that’s a fact, definitely. Low hanging fruit is a good description.
And you are right about innovation as well. But I am hoping that what we see if the difference between representing a governing body, with various competing interests, proves a different gig than representing one massive club with international reach … that should inspire a bit more creativity.
Hopefully.
SID1888 on 29TH JANUARY 2021 1:43 PM
AULDHEID on 29TH JANUARY 2021 12:52 PM
Following on from our exchange of posts the other week I took your advice and joined the Celtic Trust.
I also as you suggested emailed Paul67 for your email address but haven’t had a reply. Not sure if he’s mentioned it to you but thought I’d check?
Keep up the great work and hope to see you in a CST meeting in due course.
HH
===============
I got an e mail from a chap in Bishopbriggs wanting to help out I have still to reply to. If that isn’t you can I suggest you e mail Sentinel Celts sentinelcelts@gmail.com and ask they forward your e mail to me?
“The collapse this season had been nothing to do with fans not being at games, players isolating or any other nefarious reason. We got our football operations wrong, it is as simple as that. You and I will regret this for a long time,
just what some posters on here had been saying from the start of the season , a very poor 1st team squad compared to any of the previous 9 seasons.
“If Peter Lawwell left the building last year, the final chapter would have been about nine-in-a-row and four consecutive trebles”
———-
If he had left three years ago we might well have been on our fifth consecutive Champions League campaign.
But yeah – let’s just look at ourselves in the domestic context as usual.
————————-
“He arrived at the club in late 2003 at a time when the lemmings of Scottish football were heading for the cliffs. ”
——–
And when Bayern Munich were celebrating a draw at Celtic Park.
Let that sink in for a minute.
————————-
“Brendan was sacked by Liverpool, Neil ‘mutual-ed’ by Hibs, by any measure, a downgrade. ”
———
Errrrrrr…..:
Multi-treble winning Brendan Rodgers is not a talent spotter. If we are going to spend significant sums of money this summer, better to have Neil Lennon with his hand on the tiller.
It felt like a bad day when Brendan left, but now I am sure it was for the best. There is no telling the damage Brendan and Lee would do with this kind of money.
https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/kt-medical-advice-player-hierarchy-being-ready-to-make-a-deal/
————————-
“The collapse this season had been nothing to do with fans not being at games, players isolating or any other nefarious reason. We got our football operations wrong, it is as simple as that.”
———
Can’t argue with that. The biggest mess created in a shower since Janet Leigh pitched up at the Bates Motel.
God Bless Peter Lawwell
A true Celtic Hero
He kept the green flag flying despite the malcontents,naysayers and begrudgers
Oh, and Paul, what was Peter’s view on the attempt to get “newco Rangers” into SFL1 (as it was at the time)?
Not clear from your article.
MADMITCH on 29TH JANUARY 2021 1:43 PM
‘New bloke — the St Als angle is troublesome.’
###
Peter Lawwell was at Bellarmine, I believe.
David Low of the Celtic Trust makes much of his OA background, so maybe the new guy is more like him than say Bankier.
I’d be more concerned about the off shore sailing thing as suggestive of him being at a far remove from the day to day Celtic fan.
Though given the guy who is actually calling the shots we may be straining at camels while swallowing gnats here.
Hopefully his ambition is greater, than staying one step ahead of Sevco.
!!BADA BING!! on 29TH JANUARY 2021 2:17 PM
‘Hopefully his ambition is greater, than staying one step ahead of Sevco.’
###
The concern is that even that ambition was abandoned this season and replaced by something much more troubling.
‘…Celtic said very little during this period but the role Peter Lawwell played in stopping Newco Rangers slipping straight into the top flight was absolute. The prescience and call to arms in that blog and the many that followed in the months to come, were well informed…’
Paul 67
You are aware that Lawwell bemoaned the loss of millions of revenue at the death of the old club, aren’t you?
He also buried res 12 and lied for years to the requisitioners to avoid the truth coming out on what his role was on the 5WA.
Does that sound to you like the person you described above?
I am at a loss as to why you would come out with rubbish like this.
What do you hope to gain?
Ernie- true
Blairentians would beat Old Aloysians at just about anything.
Thanks for the good times Peter.
WG
RC This Years squad was identical to last year’s squad with exception of Forrster.
Main reason we lost our way was the Keeper we bought bombed out, at the other end Eddie who was our darling in previous year was only a shadow of himself.
Other major factors were Father Time caught up with Brooney & the massive amount of games that CalMac has played in recent years caught up with him.
Guys like Ajeti & Duffy, who I championed have been a disaster.
Bollingoli gate & Dubai & Covid all played their part & the MIBS pounced when they got their chance,
The Huns got every break 26 games played, not one red card & not one penalty conceded.
Hibs were cheated in their last 2 Hun games, I reckon the MIBS have secured about 10 extra points for the Huns.
Ultimately of course we have only ourselves to blame, we always need to take the Refs out of the equation, we didn’t this year,
We have been shite most of the year & deserve nothing but without the MIBs we would still have had an outside chance of the Title.
PL’s main failure – though I don’t know what role other people played in this – was not making sure that Scottish clubs have to comply with FFP.
`I have been going to Celtic games since 1049 `
OldTim has asked if he can change his Blog name.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 29TH JANUARY 2021 2:05 PM
Your shower comment was superb :-)))
People should remember Peter built our Operation up from a loss making club into a commercial success story where our rivals broke the rules trying to hang on to our coattails.
I dont care much for the mealy mouthed comments on here from so called celtic fans, Big headed Big mouths who know little about what they spout