Pat Bonner was left stunned by Tom English’s claim that Peter Lawwell will have a key role to play in Celtic’s summer rebuild.
After 17 years controlling the club the 61-year-old announced earlier this year that he would be retiring with Dom McKay taking over as CEO from July 1.
McKay started work at Celtic two weeks ago with Lawwell supervising the handover. After a catastrophic season it would be alarming for Celtic fans to think of Lawwell having any meaningful role in the restructuring coming up this summer.
Lawwell is certainly experienced but McKay will want to avoid the experience that saw the Kieran Tierney windfall squandered on a number of players who have made little contribution to the successes that Brendan Rodgers built up.
Repeating the thinking that brought Nick Hammond to Celtic with players like Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas, Vakoun Bayo, Marian Shved, Patryk Klimala and Hatem Abd Elhamed doesn’t carry much appeal.
Filling the gaps with loan signings such as Shane Duffy, Diego Laxalt, Jonjoe Kenny, Moritz Bauer, Jeremy Toljan and Oli Burke has had disastrous consequences.
Should Peter Lawwell leave with immediate effect?
Yes, utterly toxic, the rebuild starts when he leaves
No, we need his experience for the handover
It is three years since Celtic qualified for the group stages of the Champions League, avoiding the mistakes made throughout that period by the outgoing CEO would be a good starting point for McKay to start from.
After watching Celtic lose heavily at Ibrox Bonner was in no mood to entertain English’s suggestion of a continuing role for Lawwell.
After English had rambled on about what he thought might be happening regards putting together a whole new Football Department involving a manager, Director of Football and recruiting players Bonner asked the big question
BBC Sportsound podcast: 16 minutes 20 seconds
Pat Bonner: Who is making the decisions then, that is the other question?
Tom English: I think Peter Lawwell and Dominic McKay
PB: Peter Lawwell is not going to be there next season.
TE: Dermot Desmond, I don’t believe that (in reply to Bonner’s comment on Lawwell), I think Dermot
PB: Are you serious, are you serious to say that Peter Lawwell who is resigning from his position as CEO is going to be still around Celtic Football Club
TE: I think that he is going to be around in the capacity as a consultant. I don’t know this but I think that he will be there as a sounding
PB: I’m sorry, I can’t understand that
TE: Why can’t you understand that, what’s
PB: Consultant to the CEO?
TE: Consultant to the CEO, yeah. Got 20 years of experience at this level. The CEO needs help, he is a very good operator in certain areas. Corporate side of it, finance side of it. He is not an expert in the nitty gritty side of it, of transfers and the dirty business of football.
He needs help on that so why wouldn’t you keep Peter Lawwell in there to some capacity. He might be away, he might emigrate, I don’t know where Peter Lawwell is going to go but on the end of a phone I think that Celtic would be mad not to have him at the end of a phone just to give advice here and there.
RICHARD GORDON: You are a bit dumbfounded by that Pat
PB: I think that Celtic need a clean break.