‘Result against Manchester City transformed Scottish football’
● English striker-turned-pundit Chris Sutton is proud Celtic made viewers south of Border sit up and take notice
As he himself puts it, Chris Sutton lives in a “backwater”. But the former Celtic striker rubs shoulders with the great and good in his role as a football pundit and he is walking even taller at present.
He reports Celtic’s performance against Manchester City has done Scottish football a mighty service. Although he was capped once by England and still lives in his native Norfolk, Sutton is loyal to the Scottish game, where he enjoyed perhaps the most productive spell of his career.
The striker played Champions League football with Celtic, where he also won three league titles. So this connec- tion is one reason why he thrilled to their performance against Manchester City in the recent 3-3 draw which transfixed the watching television audience as well as those inside the ground.
But with eyes set to turn towards Celtic Park again tomorrow night against Borussia Monchengladbach, BT Sport’s Scottish football expert is amused that Brendan Rodgers’ side reminded viewers south of the Border that Scotland isn’t the footballing version of Sutton’s rural “backwater” of East Anglia.
“I said on the night, and I stand by it, people were saying down south Manchester City could go the whole season unbeaten and when you think of all the money in the Premier League, it took a team north of the Border to derail them,” said Sutton, pictured right. “I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“When you look at the crowds last season, and then you look at this game being a sell-out, and the interest generated, and the hope and excitement, people are now turning up knowing they will be entertained.
“That’s down to the recruitment. People want a [Scott] Sinclair, a [Moussa] Dembele, a [Kolo] Toure. It is brilliant for Scottish football.
“In my opinion, that one result against Manchester City – and remember, I only live in a backwater! – transformed the way people I know think about Scottish football. It was an eyeopener.
“That can only be a good thing. The bottom line is, Celtic and the Scottish clubs don’t have the benefit of the cash.”
The Englishman is making a name for himself as outspoken and he isn’t scared to tell it the way it is – even if he risks biting the hand that feeds him. Recruited by BBC 5 Live to cover Sunday’s Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Watford, he wasn’t impressed by what he saw.
“If that was a Scottish game, it would be getting utterly panned,” he said. “It was utter garbage. And they have all this money to spend.”
“Talk about punching above their weight, Celtic have certainly done that,” he continued. “And for all the negative stuff last season – and I had my say on that – when things are good we should come and say we are proud of a team for performing that way. There’s nothing wrong with that.” “When the game is on the up, which it is at the moment up here, we should be pleased with that,” he added.
The nation’s attention will again be grabbed by goings on at Celtic Park, where more than 50,000 home supporters and a few thousand from Germany will combine to produce another explosive atmosphere.
While there is no guarantee the 90 minutes will match the entertainment on offer the last time the Champions League theme music was heard at Celtic Park, it is almost certain to be better than Middlesbrough v Watford – and a host of other supposed “Super Sunday” clashes.
Sutton was tickled by the reaction of his fellow pundits after the Manchester City clash. One in part icular, perhaps because of his Manchester United leanings as much as anything, was especially ani-