He doesn’t sign the players- Herald reporter jumps to the defence of Lawwell

Graeme McGarry of the Herald/Glasgow Times/ Celtic Way has claimed that Peter Lawwell has no role in signing players for Celtic!

McGarry seems to have been privately briefed about the issue, rather than follow up with some questions he has simply repeated the claim across the Newsquest titles edited by Jonny McFarlane.

Back in his Daily Record days McFarlane became famous when he explained why Barrie McKay was superior to Kieran Tierney.

Back in December while he was on holiday in Portugal Celtic fans chanted their dislike of the club Chairman.

After another disastrous Transfer Window masterminded by his son four more points have been dropped with the chants ringing around Celtic Park following Saturday’s home draw with Kilmarnock.

Striking back for Lawwell in The Celtic Way, McGarry claims:

Privately, Celtic are somewhat bemused by the vitriol being aimed at chairman and former chief executive Peter Lawwell over that, given he now has no part to play in the signing of players. Well, apart from his son being the head of recruitment.

What agency that gives him in that area, only they know, but the perception of that dynasty has already led to the fans making up their minds on who is to blame.

Privately, Celtic fans are somewhat bemused at this sort of ‘opinion’. Credibility is everything these days, far more important than getting an exclusive over Celtic lining up a summer swoop for a highly rated 22-year-old winger from Finland in a £3m deal.

I suppose apart from recruiting and grooming Michael Nicholson to be his successor Lawwell has little influence at the club other than the appointment of the current CEO (after Dom McKay’s was brought in to pretend that change was happening) and being directly responsible for recruiting every head of department since October 2003.

Perhaps if Lawwell has so little influence on the club McGarry could explain what his role is, the recruitment process that selected him and why he was a better fit than any other candidate. Any look at season 20/21 would surely make him the last candidate for the job.

Rumours of Lawwell’s appointment as Chairman first surfaced in October 2021, four months after he stepped down as CEO and 13 months before the announcement that he was returning as Chairman.

In July 2022 Mark was appointed Head of Recruitment from his role as Information and Content Manager of the City Football Group website, his job prior to joining the CFG is unknown.