Mark Lawwell, Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment, and Joe Dudgeon, Lead First Team Scout, both resigned yesterday to “pursue other opportunities”. Mark joined from City Football Group (CFG) in May 2022, Joe followed from the same source six months later.
While at CFG, Lawwell was Head of Scouting and Recruitment, responsible for Manchester City, Girona, Ange Postecoglou’s Yokohama and others. The pair worked together for three years at CFG, where Ange bought into Mark’s recruitment and development pathway. Mark then recommended Ange to Celtic.
After his successful first season at Celtic, Ange brought Mark up from Manchester to head Celtic’s recruitment. Plans were cut short when Ange left for Tottenham before the pair set to work in the summer of 2023.
It was clear to many that Brendan Rodgers recruitment methodology was different from Ange’s, while Mark Lawwell’s also differed from Lee Congerton’s, who headed recruitment during Brendan’s first term at Celtic. Lee had worked with Brendan early in their backroom careers at Chelsea and followed him to Leicester in 2019.
Both Lawwell and Congerton suffered some reputational damage among the support during their times at Celtic, although Head of Recruitment is only one piece of the jigsaw. Congerton’s reputation in the game got him the top recruitment job at Atalanta in 2022.
After the work he did at CFG and his transformational time at Celtic through Postecoglou, Mark Lawwell also has significant standing in the game. He will end up back in the English Premier League, where there is a bit of flux at the top end.
City and Chelsea are prodigious hoarders of talent, although he may prefer not to return to City and not be further contaminated by Chelsea. Postecoglou moved for him before and could take him to Spurs. I would keep an eye on Manchester United as a possible destination. Their new controlling shareholder is known to respect the work of CFG and will make changes to the football and recruitment operation.
Liverpool are probably too focused on replacing Klopp than making any further senior changes. There are lots of clubs keen to move up the food chain further down the EPL, who may also move for him. Bookmark me if you think any other scenario is likely. What happens next will be a measure of what walked out the door yesterday.
The January transfer window was described as “disappointing” by Mark’s father, chairman, Peter Lawwell, showing his aptitude for understatement. The manager and recruitment department need to work to the same methodology or we end up with £67m in the bank and spending very little. The frustration would have been palpable.
I think everyone had the best intentions when Brendan joined in the summer and committed to work with the existing recruitment system. The manager must always have the final decision in transfers, but if we do not sign who the recruitment department wants us to sign, those at the top will soon move on.
I doubt we will be able to get Lee Congerton back. Whether you want someone like Lee in to work with Brendan they way they did until 2019 doesn’t matter, it is important that we get someone who operates like that. The manager needs a Head of Recruitment who works the way he does, not the way CFG do. It may not be to your taste, but it’s surely better than rejecting everyone. So nothing to worry about.
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Must be absolute panic amongst the 4 officials and VAR at Ibrokes. Something must be done second half!
**officials conspiring
Stupid predictive text! 😡
With a few notable exceptions, BR’s recruitment first-time around was truly lamentable.
De Vries, Gamboa, Kouassi ,Benyu..all the way thru to Compper.
HT 0-1
PENALTY RANGERS!!
Penalty Bingo
57th minute
AN TEARMANN on 2ND MARCH 2024 3:00 PM
Still waiting on an explanation
===
Did you ask for an explanation? What part do you disagree with? Are you saying Rangers hadn’t won the 3 previous titles before going into admin then liquidation?? Or are you saying that any of the other clubs in the league with a tiny fraction of our budget had a chance to win the title?
Motherwell finished 3rd with 62 points in 11/12 and we had 93
Motherwell finished 2nd with 63 points in 12/13 and we had 79 (wtf Lenny)
Motherwell finished 2nd with 70 points in 13/14 and we had 99
Our great rivals then finished 2nd bottom in 14/15 with 36 points where they humiliated the new huns 6 – 1 on aggregate in the playoffs cementing ‘the journey’ into a laughing stock that couldn’t even emulate Gretna’s successive promotions from bottom to top tier
Meanwhile Aberdeen finished 2nd with 75 points and we had 92
Aberdeen then finished 2nd in 15/16 with 71 points and we had 86
Aberdeen finished 2nd in 16/17 with 76 points and we had 106
Aberdeen finished 2nd in 17/18 with 73 points and we had 83
Huns would finally break into the top 2 at the 3rd time of asking in 18/19 with 78 points and we had 87.
That takes us up to the Covid season. So pray tell who was challenging us that makes you want to credit Lawwell for the domestic success whilst being an utter embarrassment in Europe? How many times under his leadership were we woefully under prepared for Champions League qualifiers? How many times Bitton at centre half? McGregor at left back?? Take a look around Celtic Media at the delight in Mark Lawwell being removed. There is one more resignation that would get the fans truly buzzing. That of Saint Peter (©Paul67)
Of course it remains to be seen if we’ll now go and search out the most qualified people for the job rather than the last few years of nepotism but it’s a start and one can only hope
They really aren’t coping well with Well….
HITS THE WOODWORK
Rangers 0-1 Motherwell
So close to a second for Motherwell as Blair Spittal meets a Stephen O’Donnell cross to the front post and the midfielder’s flick comes off the face of the crossbar.
Maestro
Can we call Lawal back I wonder
——————-
We can in the summer.
Just as we can recruit Mark Lawwell again in the summer
Or rectify our transfer errors in the summer.
All of which have been topics today.
I’m just pleased that. a boy who had been written off seems to be resurrecting himself, just like Mikey J and Kwon.
Haha ..penalty to Rangers…..who would have thought
Sevco get that inevitable pena;ty to equalise…
FFFS
Never a pen
I think the refs will show variety today and will send a Well player off.
If that doesn’t work, there will be a late penalty
And here it comes… 🤬🤬🤬
PENALTY APPEAL
Rangers 0-1 Motherwell
Check for a penalty at Ibrox!
Stephen O’Donnell slides in on Fabio Silva, leaving the Rangers forward in agony.
Then Mohamed Diomande goes down theatrically after a shove in the face from the Well right-back, who is shown a yellow card.
Should have read back before posting
Hunfuckingbelievable
Quelle surprise. The VAR Lodge burst into life and it’s Sevco Penalty time. A national embarrassment. Come on Well, get another goal.
BRRB,
Am I still wearing the green jersey? This got me slightly concerned that either you’re watching me or you think I am a chatty b…
Either way – yes 😂
NOTTHEBUS @ 4:05 PM,
We’re the invincible treble winners the exception:)))))
Hail Hail
When Craigen and Misser say it’s not a penalty……
But still celebrate………
KLV
MTV commentator
‘Most common phrase in scottish football pen for r2ngers’
Well are very very wasteful
Yasss!!!
Yes!
Who said 3-2 with 2 Rangers penalties? 😬
2.1 Well Casey 🤩
Get in Murdewell 1-2
MAESTRO
not this time.
2-1 Well. Ya dancer!!
2-1 15mins to go and another 65 injury time
Going to stick this on and watch it now.
The hordes will be apocalyptic if the scores stays the same.
2-1 to Motherwell!!! 😂😂😂
They score the hardest chances they’ve created come on Well.
Wedding Anniversary today…..a Motherwell win would be a lovely present! 🤞👍☘️
MAJESTIC HARTSON on 2ND MARCH 2024 4:34 PM
Who said 3-2 with 2 Rangers penalties? 😬
—————
That would be me!
Let’s hope I’m wrong! 😳😣🤷🏼♂️
The Steelman just need to life up to there name now.
Majestic Hartson 4.25
Concerned? Aye G you keep bad company.