Not since the headline ‘Lawwell departs Celtic’ a few years back now has there been such unanimous glee from a section of the club’s support as there was today when the news broke that, er, Lawwell has departed Celtic.
This time though, it is Mark Lawwell – son of now chairman Peter, and just as popular in some quarters, it seems - who is departing the scene, having resigned from his position as head of recruitment and being placed on immediate gardening leave.
Whatever the reasons and the arguments for and against the low stock that many among the Celtic fanbase hold the name in, ultimately, it was to prove an albatross around the neck of Lawwell Jnr during his time in the club’s employ, and a reason why scrutiny of his work was always going to be intense and unforgiving.
READ MORE: Mark Lawwell resigns from Celtic as second scout also heads for exit
After a January transfer window in which the Celtic fans were promised so much ultimately delivered so little, the recent draw with Kilmarnock saw the support directing the blame loudly and clearly towards Lawwell.
Though, what was less clear, was which of them they were referring to in chanting ‘Lawwell, Lawwell, get to f***’. Perhaps the repetition of the name was actually meant as an address, and an invitation, to both.
Either way, rumours that Lawwell Jnr was considering his position, or having it considered for him, have been circling the club for many weeks now. Earlier today, with a short statement and some lukewarm words from manager Brendan Rodgers and chief executive Michael Nicholson, Celtic confirmed that both Lawwell and lead first team scout Joe Dudgeon would be stepping down from their roles.
“As part of the Club’s recruitment team, Mark and Joe have worked tirelessly to bring success to Celtic, and I would like to wish them both the very best for the future,” said Rodgers, with Nicholson adding: “Everyone at Celtic thanks Mark and Joe for their contribution and dedication to the club, and we wish them both every success moving forward.”
All in all, Lawwell oversaw the signing of 21 players since his arrival at Celtic in the summer of 2022, with club sources reiterating today – rather pointedly - the role that former manager Ange Postecoglou played in bringing his former City Group colleague to the club.
There were some successes among them, though perhaps unfairly, those were usually accredited to the connections of the universally popular Postecoglou, while the failures – and there were many – were usually pinned on Lawwell.
For every Aaron Mooy or Alistair Johnston, there was an Alexandro Bernabei or Oliver Abildgaard. And more besides. This season has seen recruits such as Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Nat Phillips, Marco Tilio and Nick Kuhn make little to no impact on the first team, while even those deemed to be more of a ‘success’, such as Luis Palma, have yet to fully convince supporters they belong at such a level.
Perhaps only Adam Idah, whose loan signing in the final hours of the winter window from Norwich City provoked an outpouring of dismay, has made a rapid and telling contribution to the cause.
While news of Lawwell’s departure may have pleased a large rump of the support though, the question that must now be asked is where Celtic go from here? Do they simply refill the vacated positions, or do they grasp this opportunity to really modernise the structure of the club and perhaps appoint a long-touted director of football?
READ MORE: The telling Ange Postecoglou line in Mark Lawwell Celtic exit confirmation
It would seem the opportune moment to do so, and quickly, so that Celtic don’t find themselves going into European football in the summer or just beyond with an undercooked and under resourced team – a position they have found themselves in far too often over the years.
And while defences of Lawwell have been thin on the ground, and thin on substance, it may also be a good time to re-examine the parameters within which he was working, and acquiesce to the manager’s pleas to identify talent a little higher up the food chain than the £3m-£4m price bracket.
Otherwise, Lawwell’s departure may be interpreted as little more than a sacrificial morsel to temporarily appease the dissenting mob, rather than any real cause for celebration among them.
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