Video: Graham Spiers on Peter Lawwell’s letter from Lyon

The Celtic Star

·13 January 2025

Video: Graham Spiers on Peter Lawwell’s letter from Lyon

Journalist Graham Spiers has revealed that Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell knew that Paul Le Guen would fail in Glasgow after a letter from a Lyon based Celtic fan…

The then Celtic Chief Executive of the football club, Lawwell had come in a few years earlier and had begun the process of downsizing the club after years of spending under our former manager, Martin O’Neill.

Gordon Strachan was drafted in

Lawwell and majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, had decided to entrust the future of the football club to ex-Aberdeen and Scotland international, Gordon Strachan, in the wake of O’Neill’s sad departure following so many wonderful years and memories under the Irishman’s tutelage. Strachan was drafted in and had the daunting task of reshaping the squad whilst getting some heavy earners off the books too.

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Gordon Strachan, coach of Celtic, and Paul le Guen, coach of Rangers, watch from the dug out during the Scottish Premier League match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on September 23, 2006. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Strachan went on to secure three Scottish Premier League titles in a row

A lot of the old guard would be on the move and for many this represented a time of great worry and anxiety about how the club would cope, after so many of those players had delivered so much success. However, the club got their choice right and Strachan went on to secure three Scottish Premier League titles in a row, seeing off three different Rangers managers in the process too.

In his second year though, Rangers went big and decided to bring in a not inconsiderable coach in the form of Paul Le Guen. The Frenchman had previously delivered Championships in Ligue 1 with Olympique Lyonnais and had a sterling reputation as a great young coach who was destined to take the world by storm, and who Rangers had just pulled off a major coup to get.

The Celtic money men had concerns and even trepidation

In light of this, Lawwell and the Celtic money men had concerns and even trepidation that their bitter rivals had managed to procure the services of such a footballing brain and had begun to reassess the landscape slightly. On his podcast, The Press Box, Spiers explained: “I’ll never forget a conversation I had back then with Peter Lawwell, not long in the door as Celtic CEO, who had a vivid story to tell me and, as it turned out, a prophetic one, about Paul Le Guen. It was revealing. Peter Lawwell told me how anxious Celtic felt about Rangers landing Paul Le Guen.

Cetlic Chief Exectutive Peter Lawwell looks on during the Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen at Hampden Park on May 27, 2017. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Lawwell believed this was the real deal

“Lawwell believed this was the real deal – a top European coach and maybe indeed the next Arsene Wenger. Peter explained to me how it was discussed at Celtic boardroom level and how they would have to stiffen their resolve to face this new challenge at Rangers under Le Guen. But he said the anxiety was suddenly somehow allayed by a letter he received from a Celtic fan who lived and worked in Lyon and who had closely watched Le Guen and Lyon’s success.”

Paul Le Guen, manager of Rangers looks from the touchline during the Scottish Premier League match between Rangers and Hearts at Ibrox on August 19, 2006. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Despite this supposed coup that the Ibrox club’s directors had managed to pull off, Lawwell and co. were surprisingly reassured that this would be a union that wouldn’t last, when a French-based Celtic supporter explained to them in the letter that the model Le Guen had been working under at Lyon, and which had garnered so much success, would not translate in Govan.

‘You’ve got nothing to worry about’

Spiers added: “And this Celtic supporter told Peter Lawwell ‘you’ve got nothing to worry about, I don’t think Le Guen and Rangers will work. It’s the wrong model. At Lyon Le Guen was the head coach, he signed no-one and was merely given the players to work with. He had nothing to do with transfer market activity at all.”

Paul Le Guen the new Rangers manager talks with Gareth Southgate of Middlesbrough before the friendly match between Rangers and Middlesbrough at Ibrox Stadium July 22, 2006. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

He continued: “This private information was interesting to me on three counts. First it was true a guy called Bernard Lacombe, the great French striker of the 1970s, had been given the role of director of football and credited with so much of Lyon’s success during that Le Guen period, three league titles.

Paul Le Guen, manager of Rangers, shakes hands with Kris Boyd during the Scottish Premier League match between Rangers and Hearts at Ibrox on August 19, 2006. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

“Secondly, because as it transpired Le Guen took on the role of signing players. Rangers had next to no scouting department. Le Guen made such a mess of buying in players – I give you an untried Swedish centre back Karl Svensson.

Celtic look at Le Guen differently after message from Lyon

And, thirdly, because as Peter Lawwell told me, this message he received from France suddenly made Celtic look at Le Guen differently. The whole Scottish press were excited and upbeat, and I was right in there myself, but Celtic began to think ‘okay, let’s see how this unfolds’. And it did unfold – or unravel!”

Paul Gillespie

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