Celtic Shared flagged up this twitter thread from Lost in the Half-space @WuAnalysis on the appointment of Mark Lawwell as Celtic’s new head of Recruitment.
“An interesting thread on the appointment of Mark Lawwell. His credentials for the role are undeniable. However, there is understandably a great deal of suspicion and intrigue over how this piece of recruitment was executed,” Celtic Shared.
Mark Lawwell was announced as Celtic new Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment on 2 May with the announcement coming via the club’s official website.
What was interesting about that statement is that Ange Postecoglou did all the talking while the new man wasn’t quoted at all. Undoubtedly this was linked to the former CEO Peter Lawwell who obviously is Mark’s father. The Celtic statement reads as follows:
Celtic Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Lawwell as Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment. Mark joins Celtic from his position as Head of CFG Scouting and Recruitment, within City Football Group’s global structure, having spent the last 10 years there.
Mark, who will join the Club in readiness for the summer transfer window, previously worked closely with Celtic Manager Ange Postecoglou on scouting and recruitment throughout Ange’s time as Manager of Yokohama F Marinos.
Celtic Manager, Ange Postecoglou said: “I was very keen for Mark to join the Club and clearly I am delighted that he has accepted this important role and that we have been able to bring him to Celtic.
“Mark is someone who I worked closely with throughout my four years at Marinos, through which time we developed great trust and an excellent working relationship. He knows the way I like to work, the way my teams play and the particular player profile which this requires.”
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
The Manager added: “I know he will be a great addition to our team, leading our first-team scouting and recruitment function and delivering on our key objective of identifying and bringing exciting, talented players to the Club.
“We have a great team of people at the Club and since joining Celtic I have been hugely impressed by the staff around me who have all worked so hard to deliver success.
“I have said before that I didn’t want to make changes just for the sake of it, but we always aim to build and develop everything we do and in bringing Mark in I know we have made an appointment which will be hugely beneficial for us moving forward.”
Seen some discussions on Mark Lawwell and what his role at City Football Group actually covered More importantly, what sort of capabilities & experience does he have that can bring a positive impact at Celtic? Thread on what we know (previously discussed on @90MinuteCynic pods).
Firstly, recruitment / scouting at CFG is broadly split into two (with various degree of overlap at different clubs): 1) first-team ready players who can help clubs reach competitive aims 2) younger talents who are more ‘transient’- aim is to make money on them / progress career.
Firstly, recruitment / scouting at CFG is broadly split into two (with various degree of overlap at different clubs):
1) first-team ready players who can help clubs reach competitive aims
2) younger talents who are more ‘transient’- aim is to make money on them / progress career— Lost in the Half-space (@WuAnalysis) June 6, 2022
Where does Mark Lawwell fit into this? He has held different roles over 10 years at CFG, with his last title being ‘Head of CFG Scouting & Recruitment’
Key point: he is not *the* head, but one of several heads who all have different remits. So what does he specifically cover?
It seems Mark Lawwell is mainly responsible for the ‘first-team ready’ part of recruitment & scouting at New York City, Melbourne City, Mumbai City, Sichuan and Yokohama.
So how good a fit is this for someone appointed as Celtic’s ‘Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment’?
Initially, it seems a good fit. Through his remit Lawwell would have an excellent knowledge of the sort of global/regional markets Celtic should and need to operate in to maximise the level of quality they bring in, especially considering new Brexit work permit regulations.
— Lost in the Half-space (@WuAnalysis) June 6, 2022
Initially, it seems a good fit. Through his remit Lawwell would have an excellent knowledge of the sort of global/regional markets Celtic should and need to operate in to maximise the level of quality they bring in, especially considering new Brexit work permit regulations.
READ THIS…New Head of Recruitment Mark Lawwell instrumental in bringing Ange Postecoglou to Celtic
Additionally, the recruitment processes within CFG will be one of the leading in world football in terms of the organisational structure and use of analytics. Having someone with experience of working within such a ‘best practice’ set-up should also be a positive for Celtic.
Tweeted this at the time of the announcement and it still stands. Lawwell’s experience and role at CFG seems a good fit and he should be judged on what he contributes from now on. But it’s also undeniable (and right imo) that his name brings up other questions.
Tweeted this at the time of the announcement and it still stands.
Lawwell’s experience and role at CFG seems a good fit and he should be judged on what he contributes from now on.
But it’s also undeniable (and right imo) that his name brings up other questions. https://t.co/JkLrYY5BUA
— Lost in the Half-space (@WuAnalysis) June 6, 2022
You take someone with that experience all day long, and the prior (very good) working relationship with Ange is great (as long as Ange is there).
Mark Lawwell should be judged solely on his work and what Celtic’s recruitment process & outcome will be.
But also: Celtic, lol
— Lost in the Half-space (@WuAnalysis) May 2, 2022
Was Mark Lawwell appointed after a wide and rigorous recruitment process trying to find the best possible candidate? i find that *very* unlikely.
Is that concerning re how the club is run? Absolutely.
Does Lawwell seem a good fit and can he be successful? Absolutely.
Mark Lawwell simultaneously seems a good appointment but also a reminder that beyond Ange, nothing seems to have fundamentally changed within the club’s hierarchy.
Short-term, the overarching power Ange now seem to have is the best possible outcome, considering the alternatives.
Was Mark Lawwell appointed after a wide and rigorous recruitment process trying to find the best possible candidate? i find that *very* unlikely.
Is that concerning re how the club is run? Absolutely.
Does Lawwell seem a good fit and can he be successful? Absolutely.
— Lost in the Half-space (@WuAnalysis) June 6, 2022
Once Ange leave, huge questions over whether the improvements he brought in will seamlessly continue and develop. There’s still no ‘modern’ structure or any layer of required football knowledge between board and manager, but seemingly just the whim of the majority shareholder*.
Once Ange leave, huge questions over whether the improvements he brought in will seamlessly continue and develop.
There’s still no ‘modern’ structure or any layer of required football knowledge between board and manager, but seemingly just the whim of the majority shareholder.
— Lost in the Half-space (@WuAnalysis) June 6, 2022
- Dermot Desmond is Celtic’s largest shareholder but he is not in fact the majority shareholder.
David Potter’s new book, Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style is out now, and you can order from Celtic Star Books – link below – or pick up a copy from the official Celtic Stores…
