After finding himself the subject of well sourced criticism throughout Wednesday on the back of Celtic’s defeat from Cluj things got even worse for Peter Lawwell on Thursday.
Celtic fans have found a passion and outlet for their anger on social media, when the Kelly and White family were under threat in the early nineties the Radio Clyde phone-in was the only outlet for supporter protest until Celts For Change took off through fanzines and printed leaflets.
After a day of constant criticism, late on Thursday Celtic Underground published The Cost of the Common Denominator. Not the most catchy of headlines but Critical Bill put together a familiar catalogue of footballing failure alongside the salary and bonus collected by Celtic’s Chief Executive.
‘Celtic’s £15m failure’ might have caught more attention but the detail in the story will ensure that it becomes a bookmark for further criticism of Lawwell
FIFTEEN MILLION POUNDS is the sum of money that Lawwell has picked up since he took over from Ian McLeod with the warm glow of Seville earlier in the year still fresh in the mind, many supporters were still paying off the cost of that trip while Martin O’Neill’s side took seven points from a Champions League group that included Bayern Munich, Lyon and Anderlecht. For those interested in the actual football the three away games resulted in SINGLE goal defeats.
Turnover in 2006/07 was £75m with the chief executive picking up just under £400,000 for his contribution. Last season with turnover up by £25m (thanks Moussa) Lawwell was paid £3.45m!
The source of ‘The Cost of the Common Denominator’ will certainly have irked Lawwell. Just over a year ago he provided Celtic Underground with a podcast that could hardly be more upbeat. The club’s detailed transfer strategy was outlined, how they have data on everything that moves and effortlessly slip from Plan A to Plan B to ensure seam-less success. Disco Lights and the hybrid pitch were revealed.
Superb presentation of the facts.
The question remains – if footballing success & business growth aren’t the KPIs that drive Lawwell’s remuneration, what are?
I’ve never believed the myth. Always considered him a shyster.
All laid out here in glorious technicolour.
— CG44 (@Ticketustastic) August 15, 2019
Since the John McGinn fiasco followed by a Champions League KO from AEK Athens Lawwell has barely emerged out of his executive bunker.
Famously he opted to become the story on the back of the Scottish Cup Final win at Hampden by going in front of the cameras to reveal that no other candidate had been considered and that Neil Lennon had been offered the job on a permanent basis in the showers at Hampden.
The players discovered the news on their phones, the clubs social media channels were caught out with no soothing video clips to accompany the announcement.
One fading internet poster boy issued a plea for fans to circle the wagons but that plea was taken apart by supporters. Near miss transfer stories about missing targets due to losing out on Champions League football won’t wash with the fans.
The defeat from Cluj has unleashed a reservoir of criticism for Lawwell, as he faces upto another day and three home matches over nine days the bad news for the £15m man is that the flow of detailed, well sourced criticism is only going to continue.
CLICK HERE to read The Common Denominator, the only flaw in the figures I can find is that turnover is likely to be around £100m with the departures of Rodgers and Armstrong likely to ensure turnover at the same level as 2017/18. Costs, mainly wages are likely to be down £10m without Champions League bonuses.