‘Lawwell is a source of great embarrassment’ ‘delusional strategy’ ‘self congratulatory’ Celtic back-slapping is taken apart

Social media has led the way with analysis of Celtic’s 2024 accounts which were published at 6pm on Monday, led by the thoughts of Chairman Peter Lawwell.

The headlines jump out in terms of easy to absorb figures in terms of turnover, profit and money in the bank which make for pleasant reading for all of the Balance Sheet Bhoys.

More of the same is expected this season with another transfer surplus generated during the summer with the expanded Champions League guaranteeing four home matches with a £2.5m bonus for winning any match.

Unfortunately the record breaking finances haven’t been accompanied by improved performances, Celtic and Scotland’s co-efficient has crashed spectacularly over the last five seasons meaning that two qualifiers will be required if the Scottish champions are to reach next season’s Champions League.

Summing up the complete lack of awareness Lawwell boasted in his statement:

We are also firmly established as a European club from a participation perspective.

WOW. What a comedown from the first British team to lift the European Cup to be boasting about participation, the sort of attitude that thinks two Champions League victories in a decade is an achievement. Three fourth places finishes in their last four group stage appearances.

Basically picking up the participation fee, charging fans top dollar then limping out at the earliest opportunity while opponents patronise over the fantastic atmosphere from the fans.

The bank balance has been built up at the expense of the team, Corporation Tax is on a par with the top transfer fees paid with little more than maintenance work taking part on Celtic Park with the Main Stand ‘facilities’ at least 30 years behind the times.

On the Kerrydale Street Message Board two members shared the opinions of fans not obsessed by the Balance Sheet

My Lovely house offered:

The self-congratulatory tone of these statements encapsulates our issues as a club perfectly.

The Board think that we over-performing and that they are the main reasons behind that over-performance.They just can’t see that they have been incredibly fortunate to take over stewardship of the biggest club in Scotland at a time when power and wealth has been concentrating in the biggest clubs across football in general.

Look at the level of one or two club domination across leagues in general today compared to 20 or 30 years ago – it is not unique to Scotland and certainly not due to our Board’s strategy. On top of that, our biggest rivals died, leaving us with a comical advantage over our domestic rivals. At a time when power and wealth was concentrating in the biggest clubs, we lost our only rival for the title of the biggest club in Scotland, through no skill or action on our part. As a result we were given a free ticket to the richest competition in football when our budget already dwarfed every club in Scotland.

It would literally have been harder to fail than to succeed.While I will always enjoy and celebrate our domestic success, you have to ask what it would have taken not to dominate during the period that the majority of the current Board have been in charge. Especially when you take into account the fact that we have only actually dominated since the huns died – before that we very much trading titles.

The fact that we allowed a dying hun team to win 3 titles in a row, and allowed a 9 year old club to beat us to a title is much more indicative of the performance of the current Board than boasting about dominating a bunch of clubs whose entire squads are worth less than some of our individual players.Likewise having 77 million in the bank as a football club playing in Scotland is not something to boast about. It is a failure of management. To also claim that the financial performance is down to their strategy is out and out delusional.

Our player trading model is absolutely mediocre by any reasonable measure. Countless clubs outperform us in this regard, including many who are not even particularly known for player trading. The reason our financial performance has been so strong is due to the aforementioned football-wide concentration of wealth and power among the biggest clubs, along with absolutely incredible backing by the fans.

The foundation of having a 60,000 seater stadium combined with the incredible support of the fans is what has given us the financial advantage. The stadium was down to Fergus McCann rather than any current Board members, and the backing of the fans has been despite the Board, rather than because of them. Anyway, this is a bit of a rant, but it is just incredible to see how delusional these guys are. It’s like the coach of the Harlem Globetrotters taking credit for having such an impressive winning record.

The Board have been dealt an incredibly fortunate hand, and the best that they can say is that they haven’t completely eff it up. With a reasonably competent Board, we would be regularly challenging in the latter stages of the CL, and our player trading model would be comparable to the likes of Ajax, Benfica and RB Salzburg, both in terms of profits and in terms of the quality of player that we are trading. It is so frustrating to see us fail to reach our potential while these clowns pat themselves on the back and claim credit for managing to not piss away the incredible advantages that they have inherited and stumbled into by chance.

The sooner they are replaced by people with real ambition and knowledge on how to successfully run a football club, the better.

Continuining on the Lawwell there, long term moderator Fat Boab offered:

l should start by saying that Peter Lawwell comes across, as always , as self aggrandising, patronising c***.At a time when this club should have been reaching for the stars. everything this man has done has held us back. Everything. It’s there , in his own words.

Sure we bought a couple of expensive players, but we came out of the very same window with close to £10m profit. Another £10m. To do what with?Good thing is it’s all Peter’s doing. Look at the Trophy count. Where would we be without his infinite wisdom and guidance?

Curiously, I remember a time just before he was appointed as CEO that we were so feared in Europe that the mighty Bayern Munich celebrated a 0-0 draw at CP as if they’d just won the CL Trophy itself. That’s how good we were twenty years ago. Sure, the Accounts look great. Record turnover, great profit, astonishing Cash In Bank, modern ( much needed but decades late ) facilities at Barrowfield . All well and good, but the state of our playing squad prior to this latest window was a reflection of this Board’s policies. Policies they tell us WILL NOT CHANGE.

Lawwell and his glove puppet in the CEO’s Office have become so self absorbed, so sure that their way is the only way that they cannot see the possibilities of this current Celtic under this Manager.Our recent European record that Lawwell boasts about is a source of great embarrassment to many of us , something that need never have happened if the investment in the football team had matched the financial progress of the last decade and more.

That we will have to endure CL Qualifying next season is down to us. No-one else. It’s self inflicted. Most of our pain is self -inflicted. I’ve said long and often that Celtic’s only real opposition in Scotland is Celtic itself.This Chairman, that Statement tells us all we need to know about our immediate future, financially healthy though it might be. Sack The Board, Back The Team.

ENDS

The statements from the CEO and Chairman made no reference to the March sacking of Head of Recruitment Mark Lawwell.