BBC pundit Alan Preston has told Celtic to build a statue for Hoops chairman Peter Lawwell — comments that may well divide the Celtic support.
Lawwell is a particularly divisive figure. To some, he’s seen as the man who took the club’s finances to unseen highs, with millions in the bank. To others, he’s viewed as someone who hasn’t invested enough on the pitch over the last 20 years.
With Preston full of praise for Lawwell, after Celtic booked their place in the Scottish Cup Final on Sunday after a dominant 5-0 win over St Johnstone at Hampden.
He said: (BBC Radio Sportsound), “I keep saying this. Michael Nicholson, who’s taken over from Peter Lawwell, I wish Peter Lawwell was the chairman of the Hearts for all the years, because all he cared about was his club, which was Celtic.
“He’s done a brilliant job. Again, the trophies that they’ve won under his watch. And I sometimes scratch my head when I think of the stick that Peter has had over the years.
“They should be building statues for guys like that, because what a job they’ve done. £100 million in the bank. You’ve just rhymed off how many trophies they’ve won in that period as well, Richard.
“It’s incredible stuff. Really good work from the whole board at Celtic.”
Whether Lawwell will get a statue at Celtic Park is up for debate. However, Fergus McCann has also been tipped for the honour, given his role in saving Celtic from the brink of collapse, building the 60,000-seat stadium, and laying the foundations for the club’s domestic dominance.
Celtic have a big financial advantage over the rest of Scottish football, mainly because of how many season tickets they sell. That’s down to Fergus McCann’s bold decision to build such a large stadium — a move that was risky at the time but paid off in a big way.
It will be interesting to see if Lawwell does one day get a statue for his role at the club since 2003; however, it’s an opinion that not everyone will share — unlike Preston, who sounds desperate for someone to build one.
