Keith Jackson reveals how Peter Lawwell is the mastermind behind Celtic’s League Cup success

Keith Jackson has credited Peter Lawwell as the mastermind behind Angeball- helping Celtic to the League Cup on Sunday while reviving a support that had literally switched off from last season’s on-going shambles. Overseen by the veteran CEO.

Despite 17 years calling the shots, in the spring Celtic were under the control of an outgoing CEO, a caretaker manager and led on the pitch by a captain that had signed to join Aberdeen in the close season. It was hardly succession planning.

In the background Head of Football Operations Nick Hammond had resigned while a group of largely uninterested players went through the motions as their contracts ticked down.

Postecoglou walked in as Shane Duffy, Moi Elyounoussi, Diego Laxalt and Jonjo Kenny checked out, Brown had committed his future elsewhere while Kris Ajer, Olivier Ntcham, Ryan Christie, Odsonne Edouard made it known that they wouldn’t be hanging around.

Recruitment over the past three seasons had uncovered Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas, Patryk Klimala, Imaila Soro, Vakoun Bayo, Andrew Gutman, Manny Perez, Marian Shved, Boli Bolingoli and Hatem Abd Elhamed among others.

Postecoglou identified a core of half a dozen from those he inherited, brought in half a dozen of his own during the summer transfer window and found an exciting winning combination.

It would be quite a stretch to describe this season’s turnaround as part of Lawwell’s masterplan but in Monday’s Daily Record Jackson explains:

Like it or not, yesterday at Hampden Ange Postecoglou provided Lawwell’s legacy with a silver plated lining.

When the Australian first appeared on the scene as Lawwell’s plan B it did feel as if the man in charge of safeguarding Celtic’s future had just taken one almighty risk in his last days in office.

But, after being taken for a long ride by Eddie Howe’s humming and hawing, Lawwell was quickly convinced that Postecoglou had the courage of his convictions as well as the coaching credentials required to overhaul a squad which had completely broken down.

And now that the first trophy of the season has been tied up in green and white ribbons, it must be said, Lawwell appears to have got his final big decision spot on.

He sensed from his first conversation with Postecoglou that he was dealing with a man who would not be scared by the sheer scale of the task which seemed to put such obvious frighteners on Howe.

With such shrewd judgement it is just a pity that Lawwell didn’t bring Postecoglou in last season after the Champions League defeat from Ferencvaros, or after four successive home defeats in the autumn alerted fans to obvious failings of Neil Lennon.

Instead Lawwell ordered a managerial review that concluded that he had got it right in sticking with Lennon, in-between times the CEO had signed off the disastrous training jaunt to Dubai as Tier 4 restrictions were imposed.

Announcing in January his decision to step down Lawwell was part of the process that identified his successor who last 72 days.

When Lennon finally realised that the job was too much for him it took Lawwell and the Celtic hierarchy 106 days to appoint Postecoglou.

In less than six months the Australian has transformed Celtic, if he had been brought in last February when Lennon bolted his Celtic revolution would be three months further down the line.

Lawwell’s last newspaper interview as CEO was to tell Jackson of Celtic’s plan to stage test events in pre-season 2020 ahead of having fans back inside the stadium. Last month Lawwell turned to the Daily Record to record his tribute to the late Walter Smith.