SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

Today’s article is inspired by an excellent comment by INIQUITOUS IV,and the title by his love of The Rolling Stones.

And it covers a topic which MAHE and I,strangely had somewhat neglected.

The resignation of Bankier,little loved by the Celtic support during his tenure,actually might just be a precursor to worse times,rather than happier ones. He is due to vacate the role on New Year’s Day,nearly five months away.

While that should give the board ample time to get in a replacement,it is widely feared that the replacement will be in-house. And that it puts Peter Lawwell in prime position.

Gone are the days of Brian Quinn and John Reid,it seems. Independent and brought in from outside,but Celtic to the core,and bringing with them all the experience they have built up elsewhere over the years.

They both came from left field,so to speak. Surprise announcements. We must hope for another one just like them. I don’t think I could cope with the elevation of Lawwell,to be honest. I know that I’m not alone in that.

We have become used over the years to governments leaking to newspapers. They are still widely read,and unfortunately,influential. We might not touch them with a bargepole,but others do. And when they are considering new legislation which might be controversial,the media somehow gets a hold of these entirely confidential proposals,and leads with it on their front pages,or their flagship bulletins.

Governments use the reaction to this as a means of checking the water,will the proposal be popular or a vote loser? Commonly known as running a flag up the pole,or flying a kite.

Phil Mac suggested the very same thing about the Lawwell theory,flying a kite. He had spoken to a friend much more informed than I could ever be,who suggested that the whole thing was a non-story.

That Brand Lawwell was tarnished by his previous time in office as CEO,not just among the support but in the eyes of Dermot Desmond too. This was good news,of course. My opinion of Lawwell has never been a secret,and I’ve never expected to be invited to the inner sanctum.

The club is very much aware of the site though. It’s why we are always invited to the fan forums that have recently evolved. MAHE is 8000 miles away,I am a lot closer at a mere 400 miles. Neither of us can do that,and even the online ones don’t work because of the time difference in California,or me being pillow deep,preparing for a night shift.

But is it all an exercise in futility,with Lawwell approaching his pet hacks and bloggers to push his credentials-?-for the role? Is it even,perhaps,a softening-up exercise for worse?

I dunno. But I can tell you a short tale about kites.

Thirty years ago,they were reintroduced to England,having been extinct in the UK,small areas of Wales apart,for centuries. I remember my host at a wee family gathering in Caterham being excited at the sight of one in the trees beyond his garden.

Now,when I drive along the M4,they are everywhere. More prevalent than the bloody speed cameras! Oh aye,flying a kite works. And we should be careful about the thought of bringing back a scavenger,the European equivalent perhaps of the infamous vulture.

Dermot and his friends who own the shares in the club will decide on the appointment prior to the AGM later this year. As Celtic supporters-the people who pay the bills-our voice,votes and pockets are deemed unimportant.

This is very much on the agenda. And we should be making clear our opposition to the coronation,rather than idly sleepwaking into it. And by the way,kites are all over the Central Belt of Scotland now too. So don’t say you haven’t been warned.

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Above article by BMCUWP