Lawwell’s faithful messenger finally questions the Celtic Chairman

One of Peter Lawwell’s most trusted messengers has called on the Celtic Chairman to explain the club’s chronic failure in recruitment to supporters.

Back in March Hugh Keevins rushed into print with the revelation that he got an early morning phone call from Lawwell to angrily inform him that the club Chairman has absolutely nothing to do with recruitment at Celtic.

It is a favoured line pushed by a small bunch of dedicated messengers, all anxious to explain that the former CEO actually does next to nothing in return for £120,000 a year plus a VIP seat to every Celtic match, home and away.

None of them dare to explain exactly what he contributes to the club from his well paid ‘ceremonial’ role.

Everyone at Celtic was appointed or promoted by Lawwell or his clone Michael Nicholson following the 72 day interruption caused by Dom McKay.

Five months after the excitement of the early morning phone call Keevins has realised that he missed a golden opportunity to find out who it is that is running recruitment at Celtic, it clearly isn’t Brendan Rodgers.

In this week’s Sunday Mail/Daily Record Keevins writes:

My mind goes back to that 8.50am phone call in which Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell loudly instructed me he had nothing to do with the club’s recruitment of players.

Instructed is the word, Lawwell’s phone call was to ensure that his thoughts were passed on to Record readers, in June 2020 Lawwell gave his last newspaper interview as CEO to his good friend Keith Jackson.

Peter was reacting to me writing about a radio caller who had said Lawwell’s hand was “all over” a lack of signings.

I have written, and spoken about, his non-interference in those matters with regularity.

But now it seems fair to ask the chairman exactly who is responsible for recruitment and wonder out loud if money is being deliberately withheld from the manager.

Welcome to the party Hugh, some folk have been asking that question since January 2023 when the quality of Celtic’s recruitment nosedived.

Lawwell ‘stood down’ as CEO on June 30 with Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide as his handover gifts to McKay.

During July and August McKay signed up Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt, Joe Hart, Josip Juranovic, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

In January 2022 Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley were added to the Celtic squad.

On 1 July 2022 Mark Lawwell began work as Celtic’s Head of Scouting and Recruitment, six months later his Daddy officially became Chairman.

Ange Postecoglou left Celtic five months after the appointment of Chairman Lawwell, on his return as manager Rodgers was presented with Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Yang Hun-jun, Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Maik Nawrocki, Gus Lagerbielke and Luis Palma all on five year contracts.

Two summers later only Yang is in the first team squad with his departure for Norwich held up by Celtic’s refusal to sign wingers despite the injury to Jota and sale of Nicolas Kuhn.

Going into the transfer window with a bank balance of around £80m Celtic are sitting on a surplus of around £20 from trading this month going into the final week of trading (selling).

OUTSTANDING- exactly what the team needed

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ON HOLD- They'll come good by September 1

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HORRENDOUS- Looking as bad as 2023

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Seventeen months after stepping down from his job at Celtic there is no public record of the other opportunities that Mark decided to pursue.