Conclusion: Overpaid, Overpowerful, But Underachieving. It’s Time For Him To Go
Peter Lawwell’s annual salary is three times the national average for a Scottish business chief executive, and many of those in that pay bracket are in charge of businesses with budgets in the hundreds of millions and oversee tens of thousands of staff members.
Few, I would imagine, can afford a heated driveway.
None of them would be allowed to turn their job into a part-time one whilst they schmoozed their way around the social circuit and tried to climb the corporate ladder at other organisations. It simply would not be allowed.
There are bosses who’ve made their reputations asset-stripping to maintain profits. They’ve built their careers telling those under them that the name of the game is to “do more with less.” Few think of them as geniuses; most call them exactly what they are. Leeches. Wreckers. Soulless charlatans.
The idea that any of them does what they do “out of love” would be laughed out of any boardroom, anywhere in the world.
He was appointed as managing director.
He’s moved to become CEO.
In that time his remit inside and outside Celtic Park have expanded beyond belief. He’s no longer a mere backroom player; like a guy who’s played too much Football Manager he now considers himself an expert on everything from scouting to squad building.
His arrogance and ego have expanded too.
He still receives laudatory coverage in some of the media and he’s still hero-worshiped by fans who have given him cool nicknames and far more credit than he deserves. Celtic enters a summer of crisis and transition – our third in the space of five years – because this guy is an utter disaster but one with good PR.
But the people who matter most – the fans – are no longer buying it.
Whilst at Hearts a CEO has fired enthusiasm and is selling season tickets, and a crook has convinced the Sevco fans that he walks on water and has them playing in front of full houses, and at Hibs there’s optimism despite being stuck in the Championship another year, and Aberdeen are building a new stadium, on the crest of a wave, despite an underachieving boss, at Celtic Park we’re shutting tiers of our stands and playing even top games in front of empty seats.
Ronny Deila has paid the price for his own failings, but some of those failings are shared with the man above him, and Lawwell’s made a share of his own mistakes too.
Everyone at Celtic Park is accountable to this guy.
Who’s he accountable to?
He’s accountable to us.
If we hold him to it.
And we must.
