I scored Celtic winner against Rangers in cup final and I know why Hoops fans would never accept American takeover

Daily Record

3 days ago

Andy Lynch has seen it all and he reckons Celtic's sustainable model is the way forward
There may be an American revolution taking place across the city, but such a takeover couldn't happen at Celtic – because the fans wouldn't stand for it.
That's the view of Hoops hero from years gone by Andy Lynch who is uniquely placed to argue that Rangers can keep their 49ers-backed buyout.
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Lynch is a legend in the eyes of Hoops fans of a certain vintage, scoring a penalty against Rangers to seal the 1977 Scottish Cup final. He was a regular throughout their success in the late 70s and won three league titles and two Scottish Cups in green and white.
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Later in life, Lynch was an advisor to a consortium that infamously failed to buy Liverpool in 2010. Grand plans were in place to ditch Anfield for a new stadium while the Reds were at their lowest, but it collapsed at the 11th hour after one investor pulled out.
So as a man who has been inside the type of takeover bid that recently saw a San Francisco 49ers-backed consortium buy a controlling stake in Rangers, Lynch speaks from experience when he says it couldn't happen at Celtic.
And he's happy with that too.
He said in the Glasgow Times: 'The Liverpool takeover bid happened around the time that foreign investors had really started buying into big English football clubs.
'Just look at the Premier League now. So many of them are owned by overseas businessmen or investment funds. That is even true in the Championship and down the divisions down south. Now it has happened at Rangers with this takeover.
'The way that Celtic go about their business is still preferrable for me. They are self-sufficient, enjoy consistent success, post profits every year and have money in the bank. They aren't reliant on anyone to bankroll them. I don't think Celtic could go down the route that so many other clubs have, I don't think the fans would ever allow it.
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'You never know, of course. If they were to lose a few titles then anything could theoretically happen. At the end of the day, money talks. If they ever found themselves unable to compete, maybe the outlook would change.
"But I do think Celtic supporters would always be eager for a Celtic fan or fans to remain as the major powerbrokers.'
Lynch would however like the takeover to work for Rangers – because he feels Celtic need the competition.
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'The game in this country badly needs somebody to come forward and vie with Celtic for major honours," he added.
'When I played, we would always get a hard game against the likes of St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, whoever. It wasn't just Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs who were difficult to beat. It wasn't like today when Celtic go out and dominate most games. The majority of teams we faced could compete with us and we always had to play at our best.
'I am a Celtic man and I always want them to win. But for me it has become a little bit too easy in recent years. I think having a greater challenge will be good for them and will ultimately help them when they play in Europe. For me, they should always be looking to compete at the highest level, in the very top bracket, on the continent.
'Rangers really need to get their act together. They are in the throes of bringing in another new manager and they have to get their next appointment right. Other clubs need to improve.'