Pat Nevin has claimed that he could have been a Celtic executive before the age of 30!
The former Scotland star and anti-sectarian activist is currently promoting his second autobiography with some tales that don’t quite add up.
According to Nevin the option cropped up during his Everton days. In 1988 at the age of 25 he moved from Chelsea to Everton where he spent four years before taking a ferry across the Mersey to Tranmere Rovers where he played for five more seasons.
From 1988 to 1992 Celtic were firmly in the grip of the Kelly and White families. In 1988 the club rejected an investment offer from Fergus McCann but in March 1994, on the brink of administration, the old board finally stepped aside with the Canadian based Scot putting in place his five year action plan that transformed the club.
John Boyle, who built up the Direct Holidays firm during the nineties, sold the travel company to Airtours for £56m in 1998 just as he bought Motherwell. In April 2002 Motherwell went into administration owing £10m, the bulk of it to Boyle with the club trading at a £2m annual loss.
Nevin told The Sun:
John didn’t know a lot about football so he asked if I’d be interested in an executive role at a club he thought he’d a chance of buying.
I asked who and he said Celtic. John was serious about it but I never took it seriously because I was still playing for Everton. In retrospect, it was a narrow escape on everyone’s part.
As soon as Motherwell went into administration Nevin resigned as Chief Executive having brought a number of well paid signings to the club such as John Spencer, Andy Goram, Don Goodman, Brian McClair, Shaun Teale, Tony Thomas and current Belgium boss Roberto Martinez to the Lananarkshire side.
