Posted on Thursday, 20th October 2011 by Oz Chris
Three quarters of a million a year plus bonus payments for the CEO of our club. You have to admit that is a bargain for the services of Peter Lawwell. The man is a genius, he has been Chief Executive of our club for eight years now and overseen/outlasted four managers from O’Neill to Lennon.
Where once the master of smoke and mirrors was seated across the river in Govan, the mantle of Chief Illusionist must now go to Lawwell and his able assistant Reid. He took over as chief when we had a team that had just reached the final of a European competition, a team full of stars and hero’s and now eight years later just look at what represented our club on Saturday at Rugby Park and he is still in the hot seat. Yet why is it only now the message boards, blogs and Celtic related internet sites are in unison demanding change.
Well it’s really quite an easy one to answer, we have all been duped. We have spent so long laughing at Murray’s moonbeams that we failed to see what was happening on our own doorstep. In fact, Murray’s ineptitude at the smoke and mirrors game may well be the reason we didn’t notice the real master at work. While we were laughing at Casinos in Govan Road and the statements of spending a tenner for every one of our fivers big lovable Pete was gradually dismantling the football side of our business, the only bit that we have a genuine interest in, if we were winning trophy’s we wouldn’t care how much the CEO or players were earning.
It is for this reason that I think Lawwell deserves his money. Put in place by the board, ok Dermott Desmond the owner, yes he is the owner and never forget it, that was no mistake by Reid on Friday he was putting his point across, Lawwell has served Desmond well. He has done what all CEO’s of company’s would have loved to have done in this current financial crisis. He has downsized yet still managing healthy returns, Desmond’s relatively small gamble in comparison to his wealth at throwing some money at our club has failed to come off. The return on his investments failed when the EPL dream collapsed, now with keeping Lawwell in place, Dermott is doing nothing more than protecting that initial deposit and will continue to do so unless someone comes up with a decent plan for change.
Lawwell has kept us at bay by throwing us a bone every time he thinks we need one, how many times did we hear the names Keane, Given, Bellamy then there was the odd Sol Campbell thrown in and right on cue last week when the heat should have been getting turned up, McFadden’s name got thrown into the mix. His appointment of Lennon was probably the shrewdest yet, what better a barrier between us and him. When Lenny was appointed I remember hearing the assertive guy who I believed was going to be his own man and not roll over to the board. I remember someone with inside knowledge tell me at his interview he told them how it was going to be his way if he became manager. Now all I see a guy who is towing the party line, maybe that’s fear for his own position based on the recent results or maybe he feels in debt to Lawwell for the support shown over the off field events, maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome, I don’t know but Lenny is a board man now and we witnessed that last week when he took his place at the AGM. It’s funny because our manager is probably in the strongest position he will ever find himself in, all he has to do is mutter something about Lawwell and Co interfering in the day to day running of the team and there would be bedlam from the paying support.
As for the AGM this is where Lawwell should be at his most vulnerable, but yet again the man proved his worth, a nice wee story about Scottish Football going to be extinct had those on BBC Scotland talking about Celtic in the EPL again and not the real issues. His plan for the club shows no ambition to better our selves on the football field. He looks to have obtained a financial model of a business plan from a St Mirren or Motherwell and thinks that will do nicely for Celtic and his inclusion of Lennon at the top table had the idiots in the room talking tactics and team selection thus deviating away from the real matters.
So come voting time it would appear that only two people voted against Lawwell’s re election, yes I know that he was always going to be there but considering all I read on a daily basis is ‘Lawwell out’, why no show of hands to show the fans true feelings. Even Harry Brady from Celtic Underground has drawn up a Celtic revival plan that involves no Peter Lawwell, yet he was not one of the two who voted against the re election of the CEO. If you are going to put something forward that involves change, you really must believe in it yourself first. Do they put something in the tea when you enter that stops you from functioning, I don’t know but it would appear the small shareholders really are not the best people to trust with the future of our club either.
So all in all I think we deserve Lawwell, he is quite clearly carrying out the Scarlet Pimpernel’s instruction and doing it well. So until someone else comes in and buys a controlling interest in the club we should shut up complaining and let them get on with it as nothing will change. We have missed our chance.
For fear of me being accused of putting my head in the sand, it would be criminal of me not to mention probably the worst game I have seen as a Celtic Supporter. Players can have bad days but that performance was unforgivable and there are many there that will have to do an awful lot to have me praising them again.
Due to work commitments I watched the game unfold on Twitter and Iike many of you watching, I was in shock. Despite the shock, I couldn’t help but feel the comments been laid at Kayal’s door in particular were way over the top. So when I eventually seen the game 24 hours later I sat down with a pen and paper in an attempt to be objective about his performance. To do this I decided to count how many completed and failed passes he made in comparison to Ledley and Ki during the time all three were on the field. Now I don’t claim these results to be perfect as those of you that have watched a game on Channel 67 will know that the picture quality is not the best and identification can be difficult but I think they are reasonably accurate.
After ten minutes Tony Hamilton stated that Kayal had been quiet, he was wrong he was worse, there were 14 minutes on the clock before the Israeli got possession and make a pass. Ki at the same point had made 12 passes and Ledley 8. At the conclusion of the 45 minutes Kayal had attempted 15 passes with 10 being completed a shocking ratio for a supposed superstar. Ki 20 with 18 good and Ledley 12 with 11 good. This actually backs up Harpers argument that he doesn’t see in Ledley what everyone else does as the stats suggest he was not much better than Kayal.
Conclusion Kayal needs a Twitter account.
So as we head of to France I fear the worst, but regardless I will be supporting the team and I am now off to get my head round my own revival plan. Despite how good he is I don’t think it will involve Big Peter at the top.
KTF
Hail Hail
Oz Chris (twitter @cmcmon and for podcast and website updates @TheLostBhoys & @HomeBhoys)
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Tags: Desmond, Kayal, Ki, Lawwell, Ledley, Lennon, Reid
Posted in Oz Chris | Comments (19)
Celtic News 24/7
October 20th, 2011 at 8:17 am
Well said- a very accurate summary of what’s going on.
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Oz Chris (MRS) Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Thanks for that, after the barrage Squire got yesterday I ordered a hard hat.
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October 20th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Superb.
I just hope that when Lenny goes he doesnt sign a confidentiality agreement for a few extra shekels and spills the beans on the crap he puts up with from Lawwell and Desmond.
Especially on the signing of players.
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Harper Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
It wouldn’t surprise me if that confidentially agreement isn’t written into the initial contract. In fact I’m certain it will be. I have the very same written into the contract at my own employment.
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October 20th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
One pertinant point is noted in your melee of sarcasim :
” If you are going to put something forward that involves change, you really must believe in it yourself first ”
Everybody critisies PL (myself included) but where is the alternative and how much will people believe in it.
We can make tweeks here and there in the current situation but until we get access to a greater pot of gold, i’m afraid there is little we can do in large scale change which is what we need.
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October 20th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Great read Chris. Much the same as my own feelings. There is an argument, and I think you touched on it, to say that PL is only doing what he’s been employed to do ie. keep running costs at a minimum and I can see that. However it’s the recent revelations about him meddling in transfers, gojng back on promises made to the manager and interfering in the the day to day management of the club that are worrying me.
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October 20th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Soccer Junkie, you have probably hit the nail on the head, Desmond is not going to come forward with the ‘soft loan’ we would all love to see.
We need a new ‘owner’, someone who will buy Desmond’s shares and has a different outlook and direction for the club to go.
Despite my sarcasm Lawwell would probably be good given a different remit
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jim Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Oz Chris
Even if the rumours are true about Willie Haughey trying to buy Desmonds shares, Lawwell must go.
The fans have lost faith in him.
I dont know anyone that trusts him.
Time for a change of faces and policy long overdue at the top of the club.
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October 20th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
What a load of nonsense from someone who cannot be a supporter o Celtic.
There is no way anyone with a love of Celtic could post such a negative article as this opening post.
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October 20th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
newbrooke
what do you disagree with?
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October 20th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
I note with interest that you say only two people voted against PL. As I was one of them, through e-proxy, I’d like to know who the other one was? I find those figures very hard to believe.
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Harper Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Chris was talking about the show of hands vote by those in attendance at the AGM.
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October 20th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
I thought this was a very well wriiten article expressing the feelings that a great number of Celtic supporters have. And despite what some may say, expressing negative opinons on management that puts profits ahead of results is exactlly what i would expect from a Celtic supporter. Love the mobile site btw
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Oz Chris Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Thank you Jed, you have saved me having to type a reply to Newbrooke.
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October 20th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
guys some of this is bad celtic will get this back was at the agm agree with what people think but listening to john reid its hard to argu with scottish football is not in a good state at this present time i for one is glad des is our man looking at other clubs or better still who does the fans think is going to come in with all this money they dream about maybe mr shineing white night
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Oz Chris Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
James we do not need a Whyte Knight, we need someone with a better business plan for the club. Currently the model is all about maintaining a financial status co with football being a by product.
We need an owner who will spend differently not nessessarily spend million after million, but someone who puts football first and still manage a healthy club. It can be done look at many of the German teams
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October 20th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
In some respects hard to argue with your opinion of PL but to me that is to simplistic.DD pulls the strings however are we to ignore the shortcomings of
our last manager and NL in their signings,team selection & tactics.Over payed, under worked players
have also let us down but in my opinion the team for the last 4 years has been lightweight and un flexible.Tonights result is a small step in the right direction so lets keep the faith all is far
from over.Enjoy this site.HH.
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james Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
a never thought in my time a would attend a celtic agm just like any other fan just want to see celtic win and play well when i think the way we were before fergus it scares me at what may be round the corner to be fair martin gordon tony and neil have had desent backing considering the climate we deal in all be it tony and neil not as much i think we can hang in until dec jan get some players back maybe add come jan god nos how we get a good centre half hail hail
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October 20th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
The management shortcomings are nothing but a by product of the boards failure to spend money and put the correct people in charge.
They are quite happy to pay Lawwell over the going rate yet not willing to spend an appropriate amount on the football division. You reap the benefits of what you sow.
Tonights result is a small step in a bad patch that we will come out of. We at least admit we a poor just now and are attempting to fix it. Them across the city are still in another world, their wheels will come off soon enough.
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