Keith Jackson has started 2024 by returning to a favoured theme- criticising entitled Celtic supporters.
The veteran Daily Record reporter first used the phrase in November 2020 when he passed on the thoughts of a source close to Dermot Desmond after fans protested following the home defeat in the League Cup to Ross County.
The connotation of entitled was that Season Ticket holders of the biggest club in the country should meekly accept four successive home defeats and trust the manager appointed in the Hampden showers to turn Vasilas Barkas, Albian Ajeti, Diego Laxalt and Shane Duffy into competent players to match the side from Dingwall.
Celtic fans had first raised the alarm when Neil Lennon followed up losing to Cluj in a Champions League qualifier by losing at home to Ferencvaros a year later. Afterwards the manager condemned the entire squad by claiming that he was working with some players that didn’t want to be there.
Angry supporters wanted better, they weren’t convinced by the manager, the CEO or the bulk of the players. When Celtic started the 21/22 season Lennon and Lawwell were no longer on the payroll, most of the squad had moved on with Dom Mackay overseeing the most successful transfer window this century.
That is the levels that those nasty entitled supporters aspire to, not watching undercooked projects toiling, bringing down established winners with players unable to do the basics while defending set pieces.
In the Record today, Jackson shares his thinking:
It was only a couple of weeks ago, after all, that the most entitled element at the core of this club was threatening to turn full scale against the manager, while posturing mutinously towards the directors box at the same time. Sack the board. Sack the boss. In the furious aftermath of that home defeat to Hearts on December 16 they would have chased Hoopy the Huddle Hound down London Road so utterly consumed had they become with a sense of eye popping panic at the very thought of failing to win a 13th title in 14 years.
So Saturday’s blood and thunder victory over the nearest and dearest will at least have added a bit of calm to the situation and maybe even provided a moment to pause and reflect on the ridiculous nature of this overreaction.
There was no chant of Sack The Boss, there was however a very personalised chant aimed at the Celtic Chairman who stepped away long enough for his son to be appointed Head of Scouting and First Team Recruitment before officially taking over as Chairman one year ago today.
Lawwell missed the Hearts match while he enjoyed a holiday in Portugal, unlike in the previous two January transfer windows there are no Celtic signings being confirmed today. When Rodgers returned in June he told Marky that four quality additions were required- before losing Jota, Aaron Mooy and Carl Starfelt.
In June 2020 Lawwell gave his last ever newspaper interview to Jackson, explaining his plan to have supporters inside Celtic Park for test matches before the SPFL season started. It was a year before fans returned, just 24,000 were allowed to watch the first home match of the 21/22 season against Dundee.
When Lawwell was overcome by grief at the news of Walter Smith’s death in October 2022 he was on the phone to his pal at the Daily Record to record his sadness at the news.
Celtic last won a European knock-out tie in March 2004, six months after Lawwell was appointed as CEO on a salary of £166,000 pa. In the last decade they have lost to Maribor, Malmo, AEK Athens, Cluj, Ferencvaros and Midtjylland in Champions League qualifiers with each defeat costing around £20m in turnover
After losing to AEK Athens in August 2018 Lawwell finished the year with a salary and bonus of £3,549,026 on a turnover of £83.4m, down from the previous year turnover of £101.6m.
Who is doing most damage to Celtic?
He just can't help himself
Performances are on him
Incredibly underqualified
Sack the boss ? This imposter gets paid for telling lie after lie. Scotlands sevco media shame. Happy new year to all celtic fans.
Happy New Year Joe…and to all your readers…And just to say…Jackson is an irrelevance…I have no interest in anything he has to say…Hail hail.
Editor: His relevance is as a messenger and cheer leader. He has a track record for backing losers like Sir Dave and the billionaire from Motherwell.
I still maintain that if everyone ignored him…he’d be out of a job…Just my opinion…Hail hail…
Editor: Circulation at 54,000 per day in November, dropping 18% year on year, digital advertising doesn’t get near to paying legacy salaries, getting close to D Day for the Glasgow based publisher.
Great to hear..Can’t wait for this rag to disappear…Hail hail…
So less daily sales than the capacity of Parkhead and soon to be less daily sales than the capacity of their beloved Liebrox…
Oh the dole queue is near,
And I’ll drink plenty beer,
When The Record it dies,
Because of its lies !
Good riddance to it when it kicks the bucket – Hopefully it’ll close the door in 2024 !
Note to editor………You forgot to add Parasite Pete to your list.
well said joe call him out every time he puts a negative story out . how on earth he is still in a job after telling us every player attacked kicked and spat on in the age of mobile phone cameras defied belief and sums up the sorry state of the media.
Jackson eats LIEWELL’S shite with his corn flakes.
The daily Record high sports scoop does not need the New Year for a gargle …does he ? Every week is like the bells for Inaction Jackson . Hiiiiccccuupppp, bnrrrrrpp ppaarrrpppp….. And what about his co the Rangers apologist – Gavin Berry …he’s pleading for improvements full spectrum in Ibrox land . All in the name of neutrality being an employee of a national rag tabloid ,of course !
Ha ha!
& Happy New Year to all.
Jackson has just outed himself: PL must have final edit on Jackson’s version
of a CFC planted story then?
Jackson’s version could have included:
“…the Celtic fans chanted ‘Lawwell, Lawwell go away’ repeatedly…”
and when he got it back from PL, it now read:
“Sack the Boss”
Jackson and PL deserve each other.
Jackson writes utter garbage relating to celtic in an attempt to keep in with his paymasters at sevco. Particularly after a wee pumping from us. Never a journo. ???
Editor: You will find that Jacko has nothing but 100% admiration for every move that the Celtic chairman makes. Examples in this report, google the dynamic duo for more gushing praise.
“The Nearest and Dearest”
What happened to
“Nobody Likes Us”?
Only a jackass could describe that lot like that!
“A Salary and Bonus of £3,549,026 on a Turnover of £83.4m”
seems like a very generous stipend to me!
It is only reckonable if you believe that D. Desmond throws money at Lawwell (with Nicholson as his sidekick) to run the Company and do as he sees fit!
But Lawwell’s working knowledge of Football is limited to his appointment to Celtic plc.
That is like a rookie captain taking charge of a supertanker!
“We’re Proddies”!
Buaigh me!!!