The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Lessons to be learned: McStay
Celtic: Ex-captain urges caution as spending record comes under attack
Former Celtic captain Paul McStay has warned supporters to be careful what they wish for as Peter Lawwell’s spending record comes under fire.
With boss Ronny Deila heading towards the Parkhead exit following Sunday’s disastrous William Hill Scottish Cup defeat to Old Firm rivals Rangers, the Hoops faithful are now turning their attention to the chief executive.
Instead of using the four-year fall-out from Gers’ financial implosion to cement the club’s dominance, Lawwell spent the period downsizing the club’s playing ambitions in order to protect the balance sheet.
They remain on course for a fifth straight league crown but many fans already fear they could be pushed to the limit by Mark Warburton’s resurgent Light Blues next season.
Calls to loosen the purse strings are growing – but McStay is preaching caution.
The retired midfielder, who now lives in Australia, was back in Glasgow to promote his forthcoming autobiography The Maestro, which will be published through kickstarter.com.
In it he details the dilemma he faced back in May 1992 when he came close to quitting the club he loved and moving to Italy as the Hoops creaked under the strain of their £5 million debts.
And McStay is wary of pushing the club back down a similar route.
He said: “At that time, (the problems) were financial. The club was running out of money and the bank were putting the pressure on.
“It was turned around because of fan power and then Fergus McCann came in and helped secure the future of the club.
“But as a club, you have to learn how you got in that position. You have to be very careful how you go about the financial aspects.
“The club has been very well managed since then.
“Although there is disappointment from the fans that there has not been as much investment I think you’ve got to go back to where we were and look at the way it’s been managed since then.”
But McStay admits lessons must be learned following their painful Hampden upset.
“The board will have a look at what they have done in the last couple of years and there will be some kind of review as to how they went about it,” he said.
“It has to be a line in the sand. Things haven’t gone the way they had planned but now they can try to improve on that.”
“I don’t feel sorry for Ronny from the point of view that he is managing one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“Ronny will have been delighted to have been given that opportunity.
“He has given it his best shot and he will continue to do that I think between now and the end of the season.”