Gilmour bitterness towards Lawwell evident

If you were in any doubt about what we’re up against when it comes to developing Scottish football, former St Mirren chairman, Stewart Gilmour’s incoherent rant in one of today’s newspapers, that Peter Lawwell is running Scottish football, paints a clear picture for you.

Peter Lawwell’s club, your club, PAYS for Scottish football. Fans of this club pour millions into the bank accounts of others from Dingwall to Kilmarnock. Those same clubs earn TV money and trackside advertising to viewers who tune in to see that very same club play football.

Each SPFL and SFA member club has only one vote, and Peter Lawwell is out-voted and frustrated on many issues. What he brings to the table is experience of the game, business, commercial contracts, risk and strategy that no one else in our game has ever enjoyed.

He will be the person who brings evidence-based insight into the value of our game’s commercial properties. This is not because Peter Lawwell is some unassailable guru, he simply has experience of running a business which is greater in depth and scope than anyone else in the history of Scottish football. The fair-minded acknowledge this and are thankful for it.

If your skillset is more suited to a bowling club committee than a business turning over tens of millions of pounds, and you have an unfortunate attitude towards Celtic representatives, all this might rub you up the wrong way.

You may think the last person you want illuminating Scottish football is some educated ******. Believe me, these attitudes persist in our game.

Gilmour, you will remember, was in charge of St Mirren when Charles Green (then the darling of Ibrox), was invited to New St Mirren Park for a Celtic game. They all wanted a piece of Peter then, but there was no courtesy offered from the Celtic contingent on the day.

This is a call to arms by those who want to encourage clubs to obstruct Celtic in every way possible. Peter Lawwell is their bogeyman. They are still sore that they didn’t turnover Celtic (and the rest of Scottish football) in 2012, and they blame Peter for not getting what they wanted.

Now there is a fresh reality to worry about: Celtic making their own way in the world, with the consent of Scottish football. Others will find their place in the game, while one club would wither on the vine without Celtic to feed off.