Ange Postecoglou, by his own words, worked closely with Mark Lawwell during his time at City Football Group’s Yokohama F. Marinos and had a big influence in the appointment of our new Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment.
The tie goes deeper, though. It was Mark Lawwell, who a year ago, told his closest contact at Celtic about an Australian he knew that was working in Japan and who would be a far better appointment than Eddie Howe.
The then incoming chief exec was understandably cautious about taking this recommendation, preferring to wait for Howe, a known entity. When that line of pursuit was no longer open, the club took Mark Lawwell’s recommendation. It was a radical decision and a huge risk, made at a time when two chief execs were in the building, with differing views.
The relationship between manager, head of scouting and chief exec can make or break a club. They flourish whenever all three are working in sync. On that basis, I’m encouraged by where we are ahead of the summer transfer window.
Uefa’s news yesterday, that Russian clubs will not participate in European football next season, confirmed that the cinch Scottish Premiership champions will gain automatic entry to the Champions League group stage. We will talk more about what this means financially to the club at the appropriate time. What you can be sure of is that a budget spreadsheet at Celtic Park has been updated, the recruitment team has been assembled and there is a clear sense of ambition at the club.
If Mark Lawwell’s player recommendations are half as good as his managerial suggestion, we can look forward to an interesting season.
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If players come to the club on the advice of Mark Lawwell and prove to be successful as we would like them to be,then I would be in the happy camp.Good luck and welcome to the famous Celtic Football Club.
According to the Celtic website, Mark Lawwell joins Celtic from his position as Head of CFG Scouting and Recruitment.
The flagship club in the Group is, obviously, Manchester City. The Group is owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
On the face of it, Mark is leaving a very well paid position with football interests in the UK, USA, Japan, and Australia. But, he is leaving all that behind to join a club in the SPFL. A club in a perpetual two horse race for the league title. Mark will no longer be scouting or recruiting elite level footballers, or attending a Champions League final with his employer involved. I can’t imagine that Mark is taking a drop in salary in heading to Glasgow. Is he even severing all ties with City Group ? Just what is Mark Lawwell’s motivation for the leaving the EPL for the land of plastic pitches ?
If he can do what his dad failed to achieve, and witness Celtic playing European football in April/May, then I will doff my cap to Mark Lawwell.
You have to wonder what personality PL would don if he was to post on CQN?
The second rate property bean-counter persona has quite a few acolytes on here so he would have had a lot of competition if he was to play it straight.
There were always the rumours that Kojo and his menagerie had links to PL — I know about the rumours as I made some of them up myself..
P67 only drinks with him in the Hospitality Suite / local Miners Welfare so he gets the vibe but not the detail that Kojo was always trying to get across.
Funny old world.
Was I surprised a guy called Lawwell got the gig?
Sure was.
Blissfully unaware of his professional existence until yesterday.
I’ll wait and see how he appears to perform (unlikely I’ll know details) before passing judgement.
Am relatively unperturbed by the surname thing.
That would change if he appeared to be underperforming but couldn’t be removed.
I understand the historical sensitivities around family dynasties.
Problem last time around was the length of time certain families overstayed their welcome (it was decades in some cases).
To be fair and equitable though, there once was a time when guys called “Kelly” did good things for Celtic.
Mean spirited perhaps but I can’t bring myself to say the same about “White”.
Hhmm.
For pity’s sake they’re now discussing the managerial/coaching merits of Eddie Howe.
BRITISH LEYLAND.
ARTHUR SCARGILL
Reading all about respect and no speak ill of the dead etc, wonder if the wee trackie seller will send the bigot’s family a Mass Card
On Saturday I would hope our support pay homage tae the wee bus/driver laundry man by honouring his name with this oul Jungle ditty:
“The bells of hell go ting a ling a ling ting a ling a ling, ting a ling a ling
The bells of hell go ting a ling a ling for you ya tangerine bassa
JD @ 1.55
CFG — you don’t get a payrise you just get a badge saying “God this / God that”.
Look at the cast of thousands on LinkedIn who would all you believe that they are the top of the tree.
ML’s status at CFG — who was his boss / how long was he in the job / who and how many reported to him?
From very local experience I know that you can be the global lead for wee projects dealing with big companies working alongside another global lead for big projects with wee companies — ML would appear to be a cog in a similar wheel.
Lets give Mark Lawwell a chance,he has done well at City Group.
Very good news today with a new head of recruitment and Jota maybe staying for next season.
Still see some moaning.
Mark will be his own man as is Ange,
Big clear out needed and a few in, Exciting summer ahead.
Clinch the title on Saturday hopefully and we can relax.
See the jimmy bell has died, sad reflection of a man when you are only known for being stauch after 30 years of service.
theresacomfortinbeingsad. csc
KLV
James Forrest
“That you would even suggest that I’ve got a low opinion of Ronny Deila – who I credit with having built the club culture that allowed Brendan Rodgers to win an invincible treble in his first campaign – shows how little you know about the views I hold and which I frequently express.
I don’t mind criticism for what I actually write … I do mind braindead dolts surmising that they know what I write based on half-baked views expressed by others just as ignorant.”
————————————
James you need to follow your own advice and read carefully too. I never, anywhere, stated that you had a low opinion of Ronny Deila as I am pretty unaware of your views on the man. I introduced him to this debate as someone who also came from a so-called football backwater and has gone on to success post-Celtic, even though he was derided as a novice and beneath our consideration by many Celtic supporters (NB- I did not include you in this group; you included yourself).
I did say you were pessimistic (and cynical which you admitted) at times. My accusation of pessimism was based , not just on your cold evaluation of Ange’s ability before he came, but on the predictions which you derived from this evaluation which were in your initial article. You were pessimistic and wrong about Ange but you were pessimistic and right about Neil Lennon’s last season.
The words of yon Carly Simon apply sometimes; this song wasn’t all about you.
Cast of thousands of CFG gadgies on LinkedIn — all with huge titles.
I think Pl will be happy with the £300K plus bonus package his son will be receiving.
He will be getting paid in the same ballpark as the CFO.
I made this all up but you get my drift.
JIMDOM@1:55pm
Interesting comment.Maybe he wanted the challenge……….Celtic fan………..home sick.Time will tell.
and to think we are on the cusp of winning the title.
I think its a coup getting Mark L in, he will have plenty of contacts, he has good relationship with our lynchpin so that gets rid of some unknowns right away. He will know the mechanics of how a club should run and will have insight from his dad (for good or bad). The bottom line is Ange is happy with him and has no reason to lie, Mark will know how to keep Ange happy or he will be a failure, simple.
HH
KLV
SFTB @ 2.07
I am JF — repeat I am JF.
Said in a Hollywood accent as a I hang from a bolding cross.
Regarding RD and AP at the club — mug up on the concept of opportunity cost.
What might have happened if we had been able to find another candidate at these particular times.
After NL1 and NL2 there was a lot of improvements needed.
SAINT STIVS
its unreal to think where we are just now, from last season.
I can’t think of a season were so many things have worked out for us, signings to man have all hit the ground running. Ange always says he looks at the human being as well as the player to see if they suit.
He knows his stuff, there is a streak of modern coach in him as well as the old fashioned “just keep going and get better” coach.
You find your own as they say.
HH
KLV
Yeti @ 2.10
We jumped the shark when we offered the manager’s job to a bloke who had just come out of a shower — and not only was that what they did but they were happy to shout about it from the rooftops with all the chat about ad hoc board meetings glass in hand.
These are the kind of numpties / muppets who control our club.
Killed the treble treble vibe stone dead and started a slow decline that still haunts us today
And you are surprised at the level of comment regarding the employment of the son of one of the shower mob at the club in an important position.
ML — does that mean we have another ex St Al’s bloke at the club?
If yes then maybe he can have a word with the GB — he must know most of them.
To be totally honest when I read on here that Mark lawwell was coming from City group my first thought was that was Lord Haughey’s company 🙈
Terrible decision MM, We all knew how it would end after they announced it at the cup final.
slow motion car crash as they say, what annoys me is PL knew NL’s history and why he was realised by hibs and still gave him the keys to the car. For a clever man (not many daft millionaires) to be so careless is whats unforgivable and for NL to stick around for months when if he cared he would have walked.
Money ruined our 10iar or should I say greed,
KLV
B67 @ 2.23
Here’s hoping he still takes our calls on the Fridge-phone.
We desperately need someone who has actually built a business rather than an airport collector who got lucky / very lucky.
MADMITCH on 3RD MAY 2022 2:22 PM
‘ML — does that mean we have another ex St Al’s bloke at the club?’
Yes. Don’t know if he was a contemporary of either the current or former CEO. I think he’s younger than both.
###
‘If yes then maybe he can have a word with the GB — he must know most of them.’
Not sure where you’re getting this notion that the GB are some sort of subset of OAs from. The two or three I’ve known (admittedly from the early days) had no connection with St Als, other perhaps in one case of occasionally availing himself of the 9pm Mass on a Sunday if he’d had a busy weekend. Maybe there’s been some sort of palace putsch since I had a bit of personal insight and the socio economic make up of the group has changed, but I very much doubt it.
How many members of the GB are you personally acquainted with?
KEVINLASVEGAS on 3RD MAY 2022 2:24 PM
There is a rational explanation for what happened.
We appointed internally for a CEO, went to a former manager for consultancy work, hired said former manager’s son as a first team coach and now appointed the son of our last CEO as head of scouting.
Now this may all work out just fine and if we’re successful, no one will care, however, the impression we’re run on the whim of Dermot Desmond will not go away anytime soon.
To paraphrase Ange’s welcome to Mark Lawwell ” took you a while to get here, but you’re right on time”
Looking down on the Rainjurz
AN DÚN @ 2:51 PM
“the impression we’re run on the whim of Dermot Desmond will not go away anytime soon.”
No one on the outside knows how Celtic is run, all the conjecture is composed to fit personal bias & agenda – no proof whatsoever! Where there is proof it shows a successful & well managed club. Noises-off are an irrelevance.
KEVINLASVEGAS on 3RD MAY 2022 2:24 PM
—-
Firstly, Neil Lennon’s Celtic career was a roaring success – fact
Secondly, on appointing managers – Man Utd, the biggest club in the world, have now appointed six managers over nine years, in the wake of Sir Alex, and have still to get it right. A bit of context & perspective required methinks.
EL @ 2.35
No close connections to the GB.
As for the St Al’s connection — the GB as it developed back in the day came across like a 6th year project from that establishment’s upper common room.
Full of middle class angst trying to get hip and with it in football supporting circles.
The look at me vibe / the bigger than the club viewpoint was never my cup of tea.
Consequently I blame the parents.
And failing that the parents of their burds …
Millionaires billionaires pro bono fridge Phono
Numpties Muppets lawwell puppets
St Als , G.B. chatter , we don’t mind and you don’t matter
—-
Sing songs ,make banners don’t forget good manners
Name calling , low balling , how the mighty are falling
If you don’t mind ,we don’t matter ,enough of your patter
Didyegethealed
CFC — a well run club?
T/O stagnation over a period of 17 years — no CoViD19 involved.
In the midst of a global blossoming of the game of football.
And just the one emergency rights issue.
Plus a half finished training complex.
We stand still / the world moves on and we are to be happy and content with this state of affairs?
Aye right.
dearie me.
BB @ 3.13
I nearly laughed …
“But it doesn’t matter ’cause wee signed Boyata”
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 3RD MAY 2022 12:43 PM
—–
Exactly where is the contradiction – both statements make sense standing alone, or, coupled together.
You can know about someone for a while and then be advised that the said person is a better fit than your current ‘favourite’ – where’s the conflict. Business runs on networking and changes can happen overnight. We got the right choice in Ange, who is to say Mark is the wrong one? That is easy to answer…..the Lawwell, DD & board-haters…..’THEY WALK AMONG US’.
MADMITCH @ 2:13 PM
I am sure all of this sounded funny and rational as you were typing it out but the effort failed on my lack of ability to translate.
It’s not the abbreviations this time, it’s the words. They are all perfectly understandable as individual words well known to most people but the order in which you have typed them seems to have resulted in all sense of meaning having gone missing.
Any chance of communicating what you intended to say more in the style of Hemingway than Henry James or Virginia Woolf?
GlassTwoThirdsFull- to be fair mate,Paul’s assessment, is the same as i was told by a prominent journalist/pundit a few months ago, he also said Mark Lawwell recommended Ange to the Board.
Feel free to join in:
1)Celtic’s first sunday game was against Clydebank,who scored a history making hat-trick for the Bhoys?
2)In 1978 Celtic lost on both occasions to which english opposition in the Anglo-scottish cup?
3)Celtic played Real Madrid in 1967 and,again in 1980.Which Celt played in both games?
Pass a few minutes.
Taking the surname out of the equation.
We’ve appointed the head of scouting from one of the largest and most successful football conglomerates in the world. An organisation that has football interests in France, Belgium, Australia, India, Uruguay, Spain, China, USA, Japan, and one of England’s biggest clubs plus its academy. Consider also that each of their clubs has seen consistent and steady improvement under the City Group umbrella.
Mark Lawwell wasn’t at City Group for 10 years because of who his father is. If you wanted a head of scouting with broad knowledge of both established and developing footballing markets, we just got it.