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YOU have to feel sorry for these Scottish football chairmen. They are obviously living in fear under a dictatorship run with an iron fist.

They all have to bow down to his highness Peter Lawwell. God help anyone who steps out of line.

Well, that’s the case if you listen to Stewart Gilmour.

What utter b*ll*cks.

Gilmour claimed Lawwell has the run of the game, has too much power and influence over the rest of the clubs in Scotland. But it’s no good just insinuating this kind of stuff. He has to substantiate it.

Lawwell doesn’t need me to defend him but the former St Mirren chairman had a lot to say without saying much.

He has to say who he thinks is under Lawwell’s influence. What chairmen bow to the pressure?

He has to tell us what power he has and what power he is abusing. He also has to say what Lawwell has done that has been detrimental to the game.

(Image: SNS)

Otherwise it’s just nonsense he’s spouting. Even if there’s an element of truth in what he’s saying, if Lawwell does have too much power, what does that say about the rest of the chairmen?

They are just weak if they are just rolling over to the demands of one man.

Lawwell has a seat on the SPFL board and he has been on various SFA and gaming boards. But he has been one man, one vote. It’s pretty simple if you don’t agree with him – you vote against him. This is not North Korea.

If the pygmies in charge of other clubs don’t have the backbone to stand up to Lawwell that’s on them.

There’s no doubt there has been a shift in power since Rangers went down the tubes.

They’ve not had much of a voice since 2012 but no wonder. It has been a shambles at Ibrox with a succession of charlatans going through the place.

Until the Dave King takeover you wouldn’t trust some of the men who have occupied the corridors of power at Ibrox recently to run a bath let alone have a role in running Scottish football.

I’m in no way comparing the current Rangers board to the previous regimes – the new owners still have a long way to go to rebuild their club and regain the trust of a battered support.

Even this week you’ve had Davie Weir saying £100million might not help them catch Celtic.

What absolute garbage. I don’t know what Davie is drinking. A few months ago Mark Warburton said there was no gap. Then there was a financial gap. Now it’s a £100m gap.

Then there was the King promise to over invest by up to £30m. That has gone quiet.

Make your mind up guys.

That kind of jumbled-up thinking doesn’t help but it’s obvious Lawwell has had a more prominent role while Rangers have tried to get their house in order.

The accusation seems to be he is running the show for the gains of his own club and isn’t interested in the wider Scottish game.

(Image: PA Wire)

I can’t say I’d agree with that.

Say what you like about him but Lawwell is an expert at pressing the flesh and Celtic now occupy a seat at some of the top tables in Europe thanks to his influence.

He represents Scotland on a wider level and would Gilmour rather Scottish football didn’t have

influence where it matters?

The way UEFA is going it’s more important than ever to have a voice when it comes to plans to revamp the European competitions.

I’d like to know what Gilmour’s grievances actually are.

He never made a peep when he was at St Mirren and unless he’s willing to spell it out now in simple terms then it’s just wild generalisations with very little substance if any.

In the past Lawwell has been accused of controlling managers at his own club and having a say on what happens ON the park. But now, with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, there is absolutely no doubt who is in charge of the football department. Lawwell has taken a back seat but that’s the way it should be.

Rodgers has complete control whether it’s recruitment, training, European travel, winter trips, you name it, he is the man in charge of the footballing side.

It feels to me like when Martin O’Neill was at the club and it’s no bad thing having a football man with the final say over all of the football decisions.

There’s no need to rake over the coals of the Ronny Deila reign but the contrast is obvious.

Celtic had an inexperienced manager but Lawwell and Dermot Desmond brought in a boss with substantial clout and experience – Rodgers has used both those qualities since day one. Rodgers has the trust of his board and the results have been there for everyone to see.

And if you believe Gilmour, with everything going so smoothy at Celtic, Lawwell can now focus on his day job of running Scottish football!