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
Eric Knott 
Craig Williamson - SNS Group/SNS Group/Getty Images
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….
As per the norm from you and your pals who cant get real jobs more anti Celtic garbage. Why dont you rev up and feck off to Govan where your crap will fit into the life they lead
This isn’t my job Dan.
That level of stupidity will be much more at home over there. Words of advice; “learn to f@cking read.”
Interesting take
I was at the meeting today and to describe it as a “slapstick comedy” show is very different from what I witnessed
Your pal Joe was politely told he was completely wrong by both Nicholson & Rodgers and less politely harangued by the body of the meeting to the point that he ended up shouting “Owen Moffat 2021” over the jeers.
There was plenty I was interested in, some of it I found a bit disappointing and a lot more that was really positive.
The introduction of Paul Tisdale sounds like a step in the right direction and should bring focus to address a lot of the player development issues we have at Celtic and across Scottish football.
Aye, there’s often been a smugness from the board at AGMs. They are experts when it comes to insulting people and putting them down.
Lawell commenting on unhealthy obsessions is rich.
These people need to learn some manners when it comes to answering the difficult questions instead of patting each other on the back like they never get things wrong.
A bit of humility now and again would do them the world of good, instead of driving a wedge between themselves and the fans. Stuck up so and so’s
If the board had any ambition they’d sign a top left back and another striker in the next transfer window…..
We’d be well on the way to being a top team.
Will we? I hope so but doubt it…..
Let’s face it , the board got an easy ride because this time last year is long gone and most people’s anger at them has passed, they played a get out of jail card with a couple of big money signings in the last transfer window without actually spending any money,the agm comes at a time when probably most people are happy ( especially the way things are going on the pitch ) , and the January window although just round the corner will come when the fans have been pacified and they’ll go back to their bean counting and padded seats.
Fair play to you .I am a small shareholder since 1994 and have attended one A.G.M. but it is a complete waste of time asking questions because they are never answered and Lawell aka the five way agreement.Keep up the good work 💚🤍💚
Didn’t take long before Eric is back on his one track diatribe. What would it take for this clown to give any credit. Hideaway and shite man your blog is garbage.
Yet here you are🤣
No way , does this mean Joe is grounded, by big Pete , this CELTIC family is great 😊, Eric go tae Pete’s door and ask him if Joe can go oot wae his pals – for the love of one’s club this country is great 👍
Making a profit while improving the team/ squad is a great outcome surely?
Gives us more money to invest in infrastructure such as barrowfield and improvements at Lennoxtown.
I generally have positives to say about, and enjoy reading your articles, this time a little less so.
Spoke to a few people who attended, slapstick comedy show is a good bit wide of the mark, however, I do agree they could have tackled some harder questions. The veiled suggestion that anyone that thinks the clubs been well run or doesn’t want to castigate the board at every turn isn’t a passionate fan or is blinkered (stupid) is uncalled for; yeah you’re entitled to your opinion, an opinion that for the most part I enjoy reading, but we’re all passionate Celtic fans and sometimes our opinions will differ from yours, doesn’t make us less Celtic supporters or you a better one.
Yes, the board could have done things better, sometimes a lot better, but also a sh!tload worse; to completely ignore the growth in our club since the 2000’s, much of which was overseen by Lawwell, to me is folly. We don’t have faux domanance built on shifting sands like our rivals in the 90’s, we have complete domanance, that will be virtually impossible for any team to overhaul, for that the board must be given credit however much it hurts your fingers to type.
It’s a big problem that so many fans seem to judge the performance of the board based on results on the pitch. The fact that the manager and players have been brilliant this season doesn’t excuse the failings of the board.
They did not even spend the whole amount of the O’Reily fee and left the squad drastically short at the start of the season with only one striker and one left back. With the spectre of Champions League qualifiers looming again this isn’t good enough.
And signing Idah at the end of January rather than the beginning of the month (like we did in the Hatate, Maeda, O’Reilly window), could have cost us the league.
These are massive mistakes by the board that shouldn’t be overlooked just because the manager hauled us out of the hole the board dug us into.