Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell goes AWOL

Peter Lawwell again opted out of attending Celtic Park with the Chairman posted missing from the Europa League win over Sturm Graz.

Lawwell rarely attends away matches but with a number of issues around the club a figurehead is needed to be around. To be visible.

COLLECTIVE

Last night was the first home match to be subjected to the Not Another Penny campaign. A reaction from the Celtic Fans Collective to their meeting with Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay on October 6.

Apparently all is well at Celtic according to the executive duo. Being in group stage football of UEFA competitions for 19 of the last 20 years is viewed as a success. A period that is without a single knock-out victory with failure in each of the last five Champions League qualifiers.

Lawwell would have delivered a more combative defence of his record had he attended. He did put Nicholson and McKay into executive roles but neither have the street fighter attitude of the Celtic Chairman.

Shortly before the match started a large banner was raised saying SACK THE BOARD. It was raised not a million miles from the famous protest t-shirts of the early nineties.

Nicholson and McKay were spared scrutiny by the TNT Sports cameras, Lawwell was elsewhere. Maybe watching, maybe not?

On September 19 Celtic published a summary of their 2025 accounts. They revealed turnover of £143.6m and a bank balance of £77.3m at the end of June.

Nicholson delivered another transfer surplus during the summer as he stripped the first team squad down to the barest bones.

Unfortunately the cost of that was being knocked out of the Champions League by Kairat Almaty. There is a silver lining to that with Champions League bonuses stripped from the 25/26 accounts.

The real bonus is that the current squad has been spared from what would be an absolutely brutal eight match Champions League ‘campaign’.

ACCOUNTABILTY

Celtic shareholders are still waiting on notification for the 2025 AGM. Three weeks notice is required, last year it took place on November 20, chaired by a very sensitive Lawwell.

Only a handful of shareholders went against the grain last year with critical questions.

This year there will be plenty calling out Nicholson. A shrug of the shoulders won’t be acceptable this time.

The temper of the Chairman is bound to be tested. If he can’t be bothered attending matches he isn’t going to enjoy hearing Nicholson grilled about downsizing from fans/shareholders.

WHAT DOES THE CHAIRMAN DO?

Lawwell did attend the home matches against Hibs, Braga and Motherwell. He appeared to be deeply unhappy with Daizen Maeda’s later winner against Motherwell. The last image showing on the SNS website of the Chairman is from October 5.

The 2-1 win over Sturm Graz was a welcome upturn in fortunes for Rodgers and the team.

It changes nothing in regard of the Collective and their campaign for changes. The seven open questions remain unanswered.

With Nicholson on mute there is a communications vacuum inside the club. The platform is there for the Chairman with more than 20 years experience at the coal face.

In the 2024 accounts Lawwell was paid £120,000 as club Chairman. Surely for that salary a Chairman could be recruited who is interested enough to attend home matches to get a vibe for the feelings around the club?

If Lawwell doesn’t fancy the job there should be a vice-Chairman ready to step in, strangely Celtic don’t have anyone in that role.

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