The Lawwell Legacy

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Celtic operate in a sustainable and progressive manner, which is why we win more trophies than anyone else in the world.  It is the reason the 21st century belongs to Celtic.

Get your brain around this point.  We are in this position of dominance for the long-term.  Fans in Glasgow know how Feast and Famine Football plays out. One bad season and the House of Cards can collapse.  Dave King hoped this would happen to Celtic, because it is how his football clubs operated.

Celtic, on the other hand, are 25% into this century and are planning at a multi-generational level.  Five trebles and two doubles in eight years is the new standard.  Today, five games into the season, even fans of our biggest rivals think we are at least 50/50 for another treble.

Do not think this happens by accident.  It is not a fluke, it takes insight, planning and balls of steel.  Despite all this success, there was a toxicity showered on the club over the transfer window, and the chairman in particular, which bordered on ridiculous.

For reasons which defy logic, people wanted players in early, while refusing to understand the consequences of this.  Celtic could have signed players early; Newco signed Vaclav Cerny in July, we could have done that.  However, no one signed Arne Engels until the last week of August, because Arne was cherished by Augsburg, who were intent on holding him until the last minute to extract as much money as possible.

Who would you rather, eighth choice in early, or first choice on deadline day?  This is how the system works, it is not new, we all know this.  Sometimes we’ll get lucky, or when we have qualifiers, we might need to take whoever is available to fill an important gap, but it is right to pursue your top targets until the end of the window.

Milking false grievances online is as much a part of 21st century life as Celic winning trophies.  A pack assembles, identifies a target and don’t let up until they taste blood, or in this instance, were proven to be irredeemably myopic.

Celtic were apparently one of the worst run football clubs in the world, that peak on the Dunning Kruger chart (look it up) was busy.  In the middle of all of this, sat Peter Lawwell, a man so powerful he occupies the fantasies of countless grown men, who spend weeks writing about him.  In clinical terms, this is diagnostic behaviour.

When he was getting grief last month, I could have written, “He’s not the man anymore, it’s Michael now”, but is it morally right to tell an abusive pack to pick on the person with responsibility for the work, rather than who previously held that role?  Instead, I hedged and wrote that Peter was no longer in the saddle, without throwing Michael to the wolves.

Our chairman grew up in a working-class Glasgow scheme.  Unlike many of his generation who reached the same heights, he was state schooled throughout and followed Celtic home and away.  This ‘Tory board’ nonsense, could not be further from the truth and is a projection from those who would rather people stayed in their lane.  How dare anyone break out?

Peter Lawwell’s biggest influence on today’s Celtic is as the architect of Uefa’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).  FSR and a well-run Celtic is devastating to any Scottish club – any support – incapable of living within their means.  It is a gift to us.  That multi-generational domination we talked about earlier, is his legacy.

This is Glasgow.  Our football will always have an edge to it.  This will either draw you in or repel you.  You and I are in the former category, it is no longer our choice to campaign for what we think is right for Celtic – which is also probably diagnostic behaviour.  It would be a good thing, though, that we all understand how hard this game is and on what level Celtic operate.

Dunning Kruger, look it up, it explains everything!

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  1. bigrailroadblues on

    Stivs from last night.

     

     

     

     

    Interesting story about McCann. His poor Grandmother must have been shocked and dismayed.

  2. lets all do the huddle on

    think using the word “progressive” depends on which metrics you are using to back it up.

  3. Great article Paul – about time someone said it – no frills – straight to the point.

     

     

    Think I’ll post this again!!!

     

     

    Former English FA managing director Adrian Bevington has outlined the key requirements for the next Rangers CEO.

     

     

    “What I would say, is whoever the chief executive is going to be for Rangers has got to be someone who can show real leadership, is a good communicator, got to have a real understanding of the game and the industry, knowledge of the transfer market.

     

     

    They have got to be commercially strong to increase the revenues but ultimately I think they have got to have football industry nous and a real common sense and the ability to work relationships.

     

     

    “If you have got all of that you’ve got a chance but it is still a very demanding, difficult job for whoever that person may be.

     

     

    Rangers should be able to attract someone who has that stature and the ability to lead from the front but also have a real good understanding of how the industry works and a great network of contacts and relationships with people right throughout the game in Scotland but also at UEFA, the European Club Association.”

     

     

    There are people within Celtic who have those relationships already and Rangers should be expecting similar.”

     

     

    He could be giving a very accurate description of Peter Lawwell.

     

     

    HAIL HAIL x2

  4. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    The old firm is PROGRESSIVE?????

     

    Replacing Brendan Rodgers with Neil Lennon was PROGRESSIVE????

     

    Hmmmm…….

  5. itscalledthemalvinas on

    Anyone know when the Irvine Celtic club opens today ? Or any non monkey pub in the area ? I will be passing through today and want to avoid a scary experience I had a couple of weeks ago. Went into somewhere called the Delta bar to be greeted by various blank faces and big fat woman wearing clothes from their 90’s Oxfam range. Decided I could stick it out for one pint only to look up and see a sash adorning the cigarette stained wallpaper.

  6. Paul 67

     

     

    Nice to see a bit of anger breaking through and answering all the overblown angst we get every transfer window.

     

     

    I don’t agree with all your points but they deserve an airing after all the nonsense you received.

     

     

    Just one suggestion……. when you say “In clinical terms, this is diagnostic behaviour.”…..

     

     

    Did you mean the behaviour was diagnosable, capable of being categorised on a clinical diagnostic scale or index?

  7. The part about Peter Lawwell will provoke most comment but after the summer we’ve just been through there’s plenty else that’s very relevant to all of us in there, all the pros and antis.

     

     

    A good time for a bit of reflection

  8. Yawn. People lecturing others on how to be grown-ups whilst indulging in gushing fan-boy hero worship. It’s getting old Mr. It’s getting old, and to credit one guy for the success of the last 25 years is a blatant insult to the people who actually achieved the success.

     

     

    As I keep saying THIS is why we have a statue of Stein outside Celtic Park, and not Robert Kelly.

     

     

    So which of those Famous Three do people want to see removed from his plinth so the Hero can have his rightful place at the top of the Celtic Way?

     

     

    It’s such rubbish.

  9. Bada Bing

     

     

    Based on overall performance it could be argued Gordon Strachan is the best manager since Stein never mind MON. Especially with the shitshow he inherited.

     

     

    It’s all about opinions. Europe and domestic success whilst living within our means against an overspending cheating domestic rival.

     

     

    Maybe you were one of those who decided to boo WGS when we lost to Motherwell and didn’t value what he was doing ?

  10. ITSCALLEDTHEMALVINAS.

     

     

    The Delta is o cess pit of staunchness, or just a cess pit.

     

     

    The Turf further up the street used to be OK and the pubs at the harbour aren’t too bad.

     

     

    However, as a rule Irvine is full of huns, and don’t even consider Dreghorn.

  11. 🎶 There’s only one James Forrest

     

    There’s only one James Forrest

     

    One James Forrest

     

    There’s only one James Forrest 🎶

     

     

    …and he just played his 500th game for Celtic.

     

     

    T

  12. James Forrest

     

     

    You really are a pathetic bottom feeder.

     

     

    A site which revels in creating disharmony and panders to malcontents. Of course it’s the same formula which worked for the MSM and our rivals for decades.

     

     

    That Celtic succeed and will continue to do so and that Celtic has never done better must be galling for you. And really not good for traffic.

     

     

    Go try to create more bad Celtic news and grab some grubby crumbs of malcontent clicks. Enjoy your sad little to dinner for one. No statues for you anytime soon.

  13. itscalledthemalvinas on

    Ray Winstones Big Disembodied Heid

     

     

    Thanks for the advice. I will give The Turf a visit.

     

    HH

  14. There is a belligerent tone in James Forrest’s articles that

     

    I find uncomfortable. He’s always so, well, angry.

     

    A hundred trebles in a row wouldn’t cheer him up……..

  15. B78- I have never booed any player, manager or anyone at Celtic Football Club, so reload and fire again.

  16. I have no idea how long it is since I last posted on CQN but felt compelled to today. An adult explanation of where Celtic are and why, terrific.

     

     

    But this guy Dunning Kruger…why didn’t we sign him? Lawell GTF!!

  17. Prestonpans bhoys on

    That was an interesting piece from P67 on our signing tactics.

     

     

    Alternatively if you’re shopping in the last 48 hours of the window and the clubs know you have a bulging piggy bank, then the £5m forward is now £9m, the £9m mids is now £11m. Like a game of cards and showing your hand 🙃

  18. Brilliant article Paul.

     

     

    Certain posters who were on CQN every day during the transfer window have been posted missing since the window closed and the R2ngers put to the sword.

     

     

    James Forrest is an excellent writer but his erudition is every day droened in a sea of agenda-driven angst. What a waste of a talent.

  19. Good stuff Mr67. The facts tell the real story. PL has led Celtic to our place at the top of the Scottish game. We have a manager now that will demand the resources he needs to kick on and regain the respect we once had across Europe. I hope he’s given the financial support he needs.

  20. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    There is always room for improvement, but I agree wholeheartedly with this article.

     

     

    I was completely dismayed with most Celtic fan media during the transfer window as they got progressively more hysterical and hyperbolic in an attempt to garner clicks and views.

     

     

    They were little better than the SMSM.

  21. Could someone, preferably the author, explain what he means by ” diagnosistic to behaviour”? Thanks.

  22. You missed out some remarkable achievements incl

     

     

    shower appointment , screwing up TIAR

     

    failure to buy 4 players Rodgers wanted to take us to next level ( incl McGinn)

     

    multiple cl failures by delaying key signings

     

    pushing through a rookie Head of Recruitment who failed miserably and blew £20M

     

    5WA for the blue pound

     

     

    Am sure there are others..

     

     

     

    The big decisions Dermot got right MON, Rodgers and Rodgers 2nd time.

     

     

    When will you praise the manager ?

     

     

    ps is michael nicholson a trappist monk ?

     

     

    ps plenty of Tims have done well and have zero time for Lawwell equally some like Lawwell. That is a balanced view —- your slavish devotion to Lawwell is comical.

  23. Prestonpans bhoys on 6th September 2024 1:24 pm

     

    “Alternatively if you’re shopping in the last 48 hours of the window and the clubs know you have a bulging piggy bank, then the £5m forward is now £9m, the £9m mids is now £11m. Like a game of cards and showing your hand 🙃”

     

     

    No matter when you are shopping if you are known to be cash rich that’s the way the market will work. When we loan players to develop them we probably adjust loan fees and wage splits based on the team. Having a cut off value we wont exceed even if it doesn’t please the “spend the fn money brigade”, or even the manager on occasion, to save being held to ransom again and again might be unpopular but has to kick in at some level.

     

     

    The flipside is I reckon the cash reserves help to get top dollar for sales such as MOR as that, along with MORs contract length and impeccable behaviour during the windows I would imagine helps us to hold out and keep pushing the “we don’t need to sell line”.

     

     

    QB

  24. CARPETCRAWLER on 6TH SEPTEMBER 2024 1:03 PM

     

     

    I stopped reading JF’s blog about 5 years ago, after giving him the moniker ‘Mr Angry’.

     

     

    Shame, because he is well read and articulate but every response doesn’t have to be contrarian.

     

     

    On PL, this is a little redundant on a read back, but the facts speak for themselves; considering the obvious handicaps we have due to our league size and population, I’m in a good place with Celtic. Compare our 1994 club to the basket case south of the river – we only had upside and it was exploited expertly (if not perfectly), well.

     

     

    Happy clapper? I wear it well. Hail hail.

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