Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell has been accused by former Rangers owner David Murray of trying to harm the Ibrox club during the financial collapse that led to Rangers going out of business in 2012.
Murray, who sold Rangers in 2011 before the club’s descent into administration and eventual collapse, has claimed Lawwell used his influence at the top of Scottish football to exert pressure on Rangers at their lowest point.
Rangers manager Walter Smith (R centre) and owner David Murray (top R) watch the game
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Jason Cairnduff
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The former Parkhead chief executive, now chairman, has long been seen as a powerful figure within the game, but Murray has gone further by alleging there was a deliberate effort to see Rangers suffer.
The claims come from Murray’s new book, in which he reflects on his time running Rangers and the events that followed his departure. He paints a picture of a shifting relationship with Lawwell, from early business ties to what he believes became an aggressive rivalry.
He said: (Mettle: Tragedy, Courage & Titles), “Peter Lawwell was someone I knew previously. One of my companies GM Mining did business with Scottish Coal where Peter worked and I once invited him and his wife to Ibrox for a game. He was delighted to accept and back then was good company, but by the time he rose to become chief executive of Celtic he was on a completely different trajectory.
“For nearly two decades he tried to build up a seat of power and I honestly believe that by the end of his time at the club he was wielding far too much influence in Scottish football. At one point, after I sold Rangers, it seemed he was positively revelling in the demise of the club.
“He held sway on committees through friends and always used the strength of his power base when he thought it was necessary. Of course he had a job to do for his club – and no one could argue he did it well for much of his tenure – but with very few influential or credible figures working to Rangers’ benefit, he became a pivotal figure in trying to grind them down and make them suffer.
“To me, it seemed the mantra was always, ‘Let’s bury Rangers’.”
Lawwell, who played a key role in modernising and strengthening Celtic on and off the park, has long been a respected and strategic figure within Scottish football.
While it’s no secret that he had significant influence during his time as chief executive, that came from sustained success and strong leadership, not from plotting the downfall of another club.
Lawwell’s focus throughout his time at Celtic was building a dominant footballing operation. and the results speak for themselves. Under his leadership, Celtic have enjoyed unprecedented domestic success, financial stability, and a clear long-term plan.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell arrives before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
The claim that Lawwell tried to bring down Rangers misses the real point, Rangers fell apart because of their own mistakes. Lawwell’s job was to look after Celtic, and he did that well while Rangers were dealing with their own problems.
Murray’s comments might grab attention, but they won’t change the facts. Lawwell played a big part in Celtic’s success during that time, and even those who don’t like him know how much he did for the club.
Murray must be beginning to feel irrelevant.
David Murray is the sole reason Rangers FC died, he can attempt to use diversionary tactics with whoever he chooses however the FACT he proceeded to use a tax avoidance scheme for a decade by which he had previously been warned was illegal from his porn star advisor, all to out do him running up £80m of debts using other people’s money in the 90’s.
a Sir FFS ????????…….
HH
That’s utter bullshit if anything it was Murray and Gavin Masterton that allegedly tried to get Celtic put out of business which is why Fergus McCann came in and made Celtic what we’ve become today. He’s trying to take away from his part in Rangers 1872-2012 downfall by his total mismanagement of his own club, he’s the one and only reason his club were wound up by HMRC and he’s responsible for Celtic’s complete domination as well by trying to force us out of business, perhaps we should be thanking him. His argument is equivalent to saying a big boy done it and ran away it’s pitiful and pathetic but then people who make his mistakes seldom take responsibility for their actions. If anything Peter Lawell was worried what Celtic were going to lose out on because of that club’s and Murray’s fiscal impropriety, a bad workman always blames his tools and because of Murray’s megalomania he can’t admit his own failings, I hope Peter Lawell sues him for defamation of character and for putting out libellous smear stories it’s the least Murray deserves as he f**ked his own club nobody else and that’s the facts as we know them.
Yea PL, and his Scottish chairman cohorts, caused ‘Metal, Moonbeemz, Mintie’ to drop his price of failure from £1.25 to a £1.
£1 more than the foe were worth.
I’m sure tha fans at the death star could have clubbed together and raised a quid.
Then they would have owned themselves. Still.threw various pointy objects on tha field of play against Cfc players and staff, sang racist sea shantie’s, continued their unabridged, blind, anti universal Christianity and semitism.
But lucky for them all, someone else paid tha pound of orange flesh for them
Never hurry a Murray when it’s having a death roll