Yesterday, Jucojames, one of Celtic cyberspace’s best Twitter accounts, put together an awesome thread on Celtic’s finances and in particular on the remuneration package that Peter Lawwell has amassed in his time at Celtic Park.
It’s stunning.
Today, Celtic were named as being involved with the Ibrox club in trying to bribe lower league teams to accept colt sides into the bottom division, a plan doomed to failure but which reeks of both clubs working hand in glove to take advantage of the current crisis for their own ends.
Their financial offer to other clubs is derisory.
The whole idea is.
Earlier in the week, Phil Mac Giolla Bhain published a superb article, where he summed up the Peter Lawwell mind-set with an anecdote about meeting our CEO in Philadelphia shortly after the liquidation of Rangers went from being possible to being certain.
As Celtic fans celebrated with a mock coffin, Lawwell’s response to the demise of an organisation which had corrupted and cheated Scottish football, and which spread sectarianism far and wide, was to complain about the financial impact on our club.
No wonder people believe that without the fan backlash of 2012 that Celtic would have waived the Ibrox NewCo into the SPL.
No wonder people believe Lawwell has seen the Five Way Agreement and backed everything in there.
Because Phil reminded us that at the same time as the SFA was granting Rangers their European license in 2011-12, without which their club would have been trading whilst insolvent, that Lawwell and his opposite number were making a joint bid to EPL chairmen marketing “the Old Firm” to England.
This is not speculation; this is a fact.
There are conspiracy theorists who will say that Lawwell has deliberately sabotaged ten in a row to ensure the survival of the second Ibrox club. I find that impossible to believe; I think Lawwell is just a tired number cruncher who long ago ran out of ideas.
I think any positive he brought to Celtic has long since been overtaken by the negative aspects of his presence.
I will do a fuller piece on Lawwell later in the week, but I can say this right now; there are things that he could have done to prevent the Ibrox club from rising to the position they are in right now where they are more than a realistic challenge.
He could have built a better scouting network so we didn’t squander so much money.
He could have worked harder to find the right manager when Rodgers left.
Whilst we’re on that subject, he could have left Rodgers alone to get on with the damned job instead of interfering in it.
He could have helped pass the fit and proper person regulations which would have made the equity confetti and all the other financial sleight of hand over there impossible.
Phil ended his piece by saying that Lawwell “has his business partner back” and if that’s not exactly the way our CEO sees it then I’m willing to bet that it’s not far off.
Lawwell thinks Celtic needs a healthy club at Ibrox, and even though the one over there right now is as shaky as a barstool with a short leg I am sure he thinks the “challenge” will benefit us in the long term.
He doesn’t understand us.
He doesn’t get what Celtic is about.
He does not get how sick and tired we are of being cheated and lied to and stitched up.
This season so far has torn away the curtain and revealed the Wizard for what he is; a man frantically pulling levers to maintain the illusion that he either knows what he’s doing or cares about our club.
Lawwell’s legacy will be this disaster of a campaign.
He will leave Celtic a richer man than he arrived, and with the contempt of many of our supporters.
For all he dreamed of the statue in the carpark the truth is that he will leave Celtic Park with the applause of Ibrox ringing in his ears.
More on this subject in tomorrow’s much longer article.
Please read our article on our new Facebook strategy, and bookmark the sites mentioned in it.