Peter Lawwell, The ‘Forgive and Forget’ Camp – “Welcome Back, Peter,” David Potter

It would be fair to say that opinions in Celtic ranks are divided about Peter Lawwell. I tend towards those who support him, pointing to the unprecedented sustained success IN SCOTLAND that we achieved when Peter was around.

It was of course the repeated dismal failings IN EUROPE that caused the angst, particularly as I recall against teams which began with the letter M – Malmo, Maribor and a few others.

However no useful purpose is served by raking that up again. The new regime will be judged and will stand or fall on whether it brings Celtic back to be a force in Europe. There can really be no excuse for a club with our following doing so badly in Europe. In fact it is often commented upon in foreign newspapers that the Celtic Park atmosphere on European night is the best in the world – and they are all there to see what it, by European standards, a team which is moderate at best, and which singularly fails to live up to the awesome Stein legacy.

Jock Stein, 08.03.1974 Photo: imago/Colorsport

So, Peter and Ange, this is what we are looking for. We all know that it is possible to blame players for missing chances, for giving away soft goals, for being caught out of position and being overwhelmed by the atmosphere abroad. Your job is to produce players who WON’T do such things.

There is of course a League to be won first. Things are “reasonably optimistic” for 2023, but it would be a fool who would say anything more than that, at this stage. And of course we want the two domestic cup trophies as well!

We live in interesting and exciting times. It behoves our support to get behind everyone at the club; it behoves our Board of Directors to be transparent about things like money; and it behoves our players to avail themselves of the privilege of wearing the green and white hoops.

Peter Lawwell and Ian Bankier (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Things keep changing about the commitment of players vis a vis their contracts and “the buying in” and “selling on” of players. Although we long for the long term commitment of men like McGrory, McNeill, Aitken and McGrain, we have to realise that things are not like that any more. This should not matter, as long as any player who steps on the field at Celtic Park realises that, even if he is not going to be here for ever, he is nevertheless, playing for the greatest show on earth.

The task for Mr Lawwell will be an interesting and challenging one. Like every one of us, he is a Celtic supporter. I wish him well.

David Potter

Celtic Chariman Ian Bankier with former CEO Peter Lawwell. Photo Andrew Milligan

It’s fair to say that Niall J, also of this parish, is certainly NOT in the Forgive and Forget camp as he outlined on The Celtic Star last night, in a highly praised article on the matter of the return of Peter Lawwell as Celtic Chairman, replacing Ian Bankier.

Tell us what your thoughts are regarding the return of Peter Lawwell as Celtic Chairman. Please post in the comments section below, or email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk and we’ll post your comment at this end…

READ THIS FROM NIALL J…The gaslighting of the Celtic support has returned alongside Peter Lawwell

READ THIS…New Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell arrives with plenty of baggage

And talking of Jock Stein…

About Author

I am Celtic author and historian and write for The Celtic Star. I live in Kirkcaldy and have followed Celtic all my life, having seen them first at Dundee in March 1958. I am a retired teacher and my other interests are cricket, drama and the poetry of Robert Burns.

8 Comments

  1. What you describe is NOT his job. It is NOT his remit. He is Chairman, which is a non-executive position.
    The CEO is the man in charge. Mr Lawwell needs to learn to step back and concentrate on his new position.
    You seem to have missed the point here Mr Potter.
    Or are we going back to the old ‘favours for favours’ days? I sincerely hope not.

    • What exactly does that mean Mr Kearney?
      Many of the people who object to this move could be described as Celtic through and through.

  2. A day of infamy. The 27th. of November 2019, the Celtic AGM.

    When Joe McHugh produced the ‘5 Way Agreement’ and Lawwell did his sergeant Shultz impression, “I know nothing’, that day shamed our great club, as it allowed full on dishonesty to continue to infect Scottish football.

    I thought that I had heard everything when Fergus McCann revealed that Celtic held 5000 Hun shares in the biscuit tin. Resolution 12 was voted down in each AGM since 2013 as it became apparent that there must always be some kind of *Rangers and nothing else mattered, would they have reciprocated? Ask Masterton at HBOS and thank you John Keane.

    Side letters – massive unpaid debts, chronic obsessive unlimited spending by them was allowed to happen as Scottish football was led into the gutter, where it remains to this day.

    Boards should be like football teams, often refreshed and open to new ideas, instead of becoming stale, cliquish and corrupt. The 27th. of November 2019, for me, the day the music died.