Celtic have been urged by the CEO of the Association of Sporting Directors, Dr Dan Parnell, to ensure any incoming director of football is also appointed to the club board.
Dr Parnell, who is also an Associate Professor in Sport Business and the Head of Football Research at Dundee United, feels that anyone coming into a newly created role at Celtic Park must have real power to enact change.
Chief executive Peter Lawwell is stepping down and is being replaced by someone with a commercial background in Dominic McKay.
It has been widely reported that the club are also looking to enhance footballing knowledge at the club with the appointment of a sporting director/director of football.
Dr Parnell doesn’t believe it’s enough to simply make one or two personnel changes. Someone coming in to take a look at the Celtic project must be close to the heart of power at the club.
Speaking to Herald Sport this week (16/04 print edition, page 2), he said: “Looking at it from a decision-making perspective, if you replace like for like and don’t change the organisation and the structure there is going to be a problem. The new chief executive might not want to give away some of his power to a sporting director. That just isn’t natural. Somebody else has to say: ‘This is right for the club’. It seems like a really good time to do that.
“The key thing for me is that the sporting director sits on the board. That is where influence takes place. They will have a clear role and responsibilities, but they will ultimately have the power on the board to check and challenge decisions which are made.
“Quite often, if a sporting director isn’t on the board they don’t have any say, they need to rely on someone else to negotiate with a board to get what they want.
“One of the key things about a sporting director coming in is that he breaks down the mistrust between a board and a manager and is also protects the manager and the long-term strategy of the club.”
I’m sure these comments will resonate with more than a few Celtic supporters. The club board haven’t exactly demonstrated themselves to be forward-thinking, football people in recent times.
No-one who currently sits on the Celtic PLC board of directors has a background primarily in football.
It’s a bold call from Dr Parnell but one which I agree with. Having our new sporting director take their place at the level of decision-making at the club could be a game-changer and revolutionise the football department.
If we are truly committing to a ‘root and branch’ change of culture at Celtic, the club can’t do it half-heartedly, even if it means give up power to a newcomer.
In other news, yet another youngster is set to walk out of Celtic.
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