As predicted, today's Celtic AGM turned out to be the Lawwell/Nicholson slapstick comedy show. It's easy to laugh at everyone when you're top dog

11/22/2024 01:13 PM

So Michael Nicholson is now the God father of Scottish football? Peter Lawwell reckons he’s Al Pacino.

Well, if Nicholson is the Godfather, I guess that must make Lawwell the Consigliere?

That wouldn’t be the first time I’ve referred to him as such, but I suppose it adds up when he labels the CEO as the Godfather, doesn’t it?

As predicted in my article last night, this was a walk in the park for the board.

It was always going to be.

They were always going to enjoy this one.

The Celtic board is basking in the glory of their big spending summer transfer window.

And why shouldn’t they?

They firmly believe their decision making last summer bought them a free ride.

How easy it is to win people over.

Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe that when you come out of a transfer window with a net profit that you’ve really spent big.

But that’s just me.

Look, it’s easy to laugh at everything and everyone when you’re on top.

And there’s no doubting Celtic are in a good place right now.

But there is ALWAYS room for improvement.

And as I stated in yesterday’s article, the worry is always there that when they think they’ve pushed the boat out, they’ll now reel it in again for another 6 years, before the transfer record is broken again.

You just can’t help but feel that way about the Celtic board.

Chris McKay had this to say about the club’s current cash reserve of £77.2 million:

The cash won't last forever but what it gives us is runway. You can run your business under normal operating conditions without having to sell marquee players and allows you to invest in the squad at the same time.

The cash won’t last forever?

So we’ve no intention, or outlet, to increase the money in the bank?

Are we stopping the sale of marquee players?

Are jersey sales and revenue streams just going to dry up all of a sudden?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t making money hand over fist something these guys are experts at?

Chris McKay and the rest of the board haven’t built up this bank balance with the intention of squandering it all.

That much I know.

So that particular statement from Chris McKay doesn’t make any sense.

Yes, the money might not last forever, but the revenue streams will continue, and in turn contribute towards maintaining and building that bank balance.

If he’d said it won’t last forever because we’re going to rebuild the main stand, then I’d understand what he meant.

A subject which, as I said last night, was bound to come up.

But it was short, sweet and pretty much dismissed out of hand.

Some shareholders were more interested in demanding investment from Rod Stewart, than demanding that our billionaire majority shareholder should invest some of his vast fortune in rebuilding the main stand.

Something I also suggested in yesterday’s article.

Cue more comedy capers after the question on Rod Stewart, where Peter Lawwell guffawed that Rod was a tightarse.

One thing is for sure today, the board members were thrown a lot of soft ball questions.

When any hardball ones came their way, which they did, they sidestepped them.

My fellow blogger, Joe McHugh, asked a question many of us have wanted an answer to for a long time.

Here’s an excerpt from the commentary in today’s live feed from the Daily Record:

Next up is a question on Peter Lawwell’s son Mark Lawwell and when they decided to sack him having been so “jovial” about him at last year’s AGM.

Peter Lawwell says that Joe McHugh, asking the question, runs a blog and that it’s higly personal and he won’t answer the question. He says Joe has an unhealthy obssession with him and his son.

Before I go any further with this, I’d like to point out that Michael Nicholson was handed this question.

He said it wasn’t a meeting to discuss personal attacks.

Okay…so telling Joe that he has an unhealthy obsession with Peter Lawwell and his son, is not a personal attack on Joe?

Joe, myself and James Forrest have continually called out the nepotism that goes on at our club.

Effectively, Peter Lawwell made out like Joe was some kind of stalker with the response he gave.

The summer transfer window of 2023 was a shambles, followed by the almost non-event that was the January transfer window.

Brendan Rodgers was clearly displeased with the squad he was given for that campaign.

Although you wouldn’t think it today based on his response to the same question.

I’m sure the board will point to the successes both Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah have become in defence of the January 2024 window.

But what went before that in the summer of 2023 was a complete waste of money.

The only player making any kind of impact from that window is Luis Palma.

And we all know about his trials and tribulations this season.

I could delve into this particular subject in depth, but I don’t have the energy.

The simple fact here is that hard questions to this board are met with derisory answers.

Essentially, if you put a hard question to them, you’re labelled an obsessive crackpot.

Just because you want the answer to a question many people would like to know the answer to.

Peter Lawwell’s son spent £20 million in the summer of 2023, what have we got to show for that today?

In fact, what have we paid in wages to the majority of players purchased in that window?

Who have contributed little or nothing to the first team squad?

Brendan Rodgers’ comments on this subject also surprised me:

Brendan Rodgers also has his say and said Mark did a fantastic job at Celtic. He speaks of his influence in bringing in Ange Postecolgou and players such as Alistair Johnston. Brendan emphasises the passion for Celtic from the Lawwell family and they have the best intentions.

Massive round of applause.

Of course they have the best intentions.

But those intentions are somewhat dated today.

Overall, I’ll be brief here.

If Mark Lawwell did a fantastic job, then why is he no longer in his position?

Usually when people do a fantastic job, they retain said job.

As for the massive round of applause, well, I’m sure there are plenty of people outside that room who wouldn’t be so enthusiastic in their applause, given the chance.

Joe also made a very legitimate point regarding the youth set up.

Celtic simply should not be losing to teams like Morton and Montrose.

It’s not good enough.

If Brendan Rodgers wants to name three players over an 8 year period as success at youth level, well, if that’s what he defines as a successful youth operation, I’m at a loss.

Joe also put it directly to Michael Nicholson to name the last academy player to start for the first team in a competitive match.

Nicholson couldn’t answer the question and handed it to Rodgers.

Joe asked Nicholson again, and he still couldn’t answer.

He then informed Nicholson that it was Owen Moffat.

Three years since an academy player started for the first team.

Nothing to see here, move on…

The reality here is that Joe took centre stage because he is the only one who was willing to ask any hard questions.

As a result, Peter Lawwell thought it was appropriate to say Joe has an unhealthy obsession with him and his son.

Neither Joe, nor any of us bloggers, have an unhealthy obsession with Peter Lawwell.

We are passionate about the club we support being run in the best way possible.

Everybody knows Peter Lawwell’s past history with the club.

At least everybody who has their eyes wide open, and those who are not completely blinkered like today’s happy clappers.

One swimmingly good third of a season doesn’t just erase past transgressions.

Like I said, it’s very easy to laugh at everything and everyone when you’re on top.

Nobody was laughing in January 2021.

Least of all Peter Lawwell.

But hey, he can laugh and joke when the going is good, that’s his prerogative.

As long as the going stays good….

The post As predicted, today’s Celtic AGM at turned out to be the Lawwell/Nicholson slapstick comedy show. It’s easy to laugh at everyone when you’re top dog appeared first on Read Celtic.