Sutton says it’s time for Lennon to quit Celtic

CHRIS SUTTON has urged Neil Lennon to walk away from Celtic to preserve his legacy. Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw at Livingston left the Scottish champions 20 points behind Rangers, with hopes of ten-ina-row all but gone. Due a £300,000 pay-off if Celtic sack him, a defiant Lennon has enraged supporters by insisting he won’t quit. Former teammate Sutton, however, says he would walk away if he was in the same situation. And, speaking on BT Sport’s Scottish Football Extra show, the Sportsmail pundit warned his friend he is putting his legacy on the line by clinging on. ‘You know, if I was in his situation I would walk away,’ said Sutton. ‘Neil is my friend. But Neil’s legacy at Celtic as a player and as a manager is that he has done great things for the club. He was a big fans’ favourite and he had a connection with the fans because he never gave up on the pitch. ‘I can understand his thought process at the moment, because I still think there will be something in the bottom of his stomach where he feels he can turn this situation around. But the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t have any support. And because of what he has achieved as a player and a manager at the club, I don’t want in years to come Neil Lennon to be remembered for being obstinate and awkward at this moment in time. ‘Some fans will see this period as one where Neil is damaging the club. And, on that basis, if I was in his shoes, I would walk away because of that.’ Lennon became the first man in Scottish football history to win a domestic Treble as both player and manager just five weeks ago. Celtic have yet to reveal the outcome of a review into the club’s progress promised for the New Year, with a major restructuring of the club’s football operations planned for the summer. Meanwhile, Jim Goodwin has accused Lennon and Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes of handing politicians an ideal excuse to shut down Scottish football. The St Mirren boss and Waterford native hit out after Lennon and McInnes both raised concerns over Covid protocols at rival Premiership clubs. ‘I don’t see the benefit to football of Neil Lennon and Derek McInnes slagging off other teams saying protocols aren’t being adhered to,’ he said. ‘All that’s going to do is raise the eyebrows of government officials to say: “If they’re not doing things properly then let’s stop football...” Who wants that?’