Ibrox View: Chris Sutton hypocrisy on key Rangers debate is almost unbelievable
RANGERS OPINION
In an ideal world, all eyes would have been on Ibrox this afternoon as Rangers and Celtic squared off in an Old Firm that could have had massive ramifications for the Scottish Premiership title race.
Instead, that match was called off, alongside countless others across the globe, in an effort to arrest the spread of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, obviously, that was the correct decision. At this stage, having close to 50,000 people in such close proximity would have been nothing short of irresponsible from the relevant governing bodies, and even though we have to face the disappointment of a few weeks without football, it is far better than the alternative and the potential threat it poses.
The obvious problem that this temporary suspension has caused, however, is widespread uncertainty over how the current campaign will be resolved.
The debate essentially boils down to three arguments.
We can either render the season null and void, wiping it from the record books entirely and pretending it never happened, we can hope that the virus is contained relatively quickly and that the campaign can resume in the near future, or we can stop it in its tracks now and accept the current league standings as the final outcome.
Clearly, this is going to cause debate.
Teams will almost certainly back the option that stands to benefit them most, and understandably so.
Sides in the relegation zone will advocate for a continuation of proceedings in the future, while clubs at the top of the table will no doubt call for the beans to be counted right here and now.
Either way, you would expect them to hold a consistent position on the matter.
Which is why Chris Sutton’s standpoint on the issue is so downright ridiculous.
The former Celtic striker released to weekly columns over the weekend, and reading the two side by side is almost laughable.
In a piece for the Daily Mail, the pundit clearly argues that it would be unfair to hand Liverpool the Premier League title because it would open up a can of worms.
Not 12 hours later, in a column for the Daily Record, he then suggested that Celtic should be crowned Scottish Premiership champions because the title race is essentially over.
Surely, he cannot be serious.
The Hoops are 13 points clear of Rangers, but have to play them twice and have played one game more than Steven Gerrard’s men.
If the Gers win all three of those games, suddenly that gaps is just four points again.
In fact, the hypocrisy on display from Sutton here is so blatant that you can’t help wondering whether it might be some kind of elaborate performance piece designed to provoke and infuriate.
If it’s not, he needs to take a good, long look at the way that he conducts his punditry.
In other Rangers news, Mark Warburton backs Gers to make ‘handsome profit’ on ‘tremendous’ Ibrox talent.