Celtic hero Martin O’Neill admits Rangers boss Michael Beale was right about Chelsea dig at Chris Sutton
Martin O’Neill agrees that Chris Sutton was a “failure” at Chelsea after Rangers boss Michael Beale had a dig at the ex-Celtic forward.
The Gers manager and the outspoken pundit have engaged in a back and forth in the lead up to the Old Firm derby at Hampden Park for the League Cup final, with Beale calling the one-time Stamford Bridge man the Premier League side’s “worst ever player” [Daily Record, 16 February].
Sutton’s former manager at Celtic Park has unsurprisingly backed the forward for his Scottish football career, and doesn’t expect him to stop winding people up any time soon, but did accept that Beale’s assessment of the Chelsea point was accurate.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Monday (20 February), as per Football Scotland: “Michael said something about Chris being a failure at Chelsea – which he was – but he was absolutely fantastic for me at Celtic”.
After paying tribute to Sutton’s game as a Hoops player he went on: “It’s funny about Chris because as a player he said one thing you’ll never find him doing is being a pundit once his career was over but in actual fact Chris is everywhere just now and I checked up Radio Mars and I think I heard him on there.
“Chris is getting up a few people’s noses. I suppose for Beale he’ll find him irritating but too bad, it’s the way it is and Chris isn’t going to change for anyone.”
Comeback
Nobody expects Sutton to stop putting himself about as a pundit or toning down his opinions but if you dish it out you’ve got to take it sometimes, and the Ibrox boss has taken it upon himself to be the one to give a bit back.
It might be seen as a risky move in that it draws more attention and pressure onto himself, and possibly gives Sutton the reaction that he was hoping for.
But both sides seem to be more or less carrying things on in the right tone so there is no real harm done, and attention will now turn to one interviewing the other prior to the final on Sunday (26 February), as Sutton revealed on Twitter Monday.
As long as it hasn’t taken any of Beale’s focus off the match preparation then Rangers fans will probably enjoy the former Bhoys man getting some of his own medicine.
With the SPFL title pretty much out of reach without results outside the Bears boss’ control going his way the chance to lift the cup over Ange Postecoglou and his side at the weekend is about as big of a game as there will be for the rest of the season.
Lose and it will be an unwelcome reminder that there is still a way to go in redressing the balance at the top of Scottish football, but win and it will be the biggest sign yet that the process is already well under way.
In other Rangers news, Sutton had another come back of his own for Beale live on BT Sport as he reacted sarcastically once more to what had happened in the Gers’ game.