Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton is among the elite of pundits on TV and radio across the UK, covering Scottish and English football as well as European and international games.
His forthright views don’t always command universal agreement – but they are respected and not to be ignored.
Back in his playing days, Sutton was a formidable operator. An outstanding footballer and a team player who led none other than Henrik Larsson to describe him as his favourite attacking partner.
But getting him to speak? That was as rare as defenders getting to grips with him. Open and lively within the confines of the dressing room and expressive on the field, he shunned the limelight off it.
When he did speak, it was usually hard-hitting. Accusing Dunfermline of lying down to Rangers on the final day of the season in 2002/03 as Celtic’s rivals won the Premiership title was typical Sutton.
Yet words, unlike now, were sparse. The man who now thrives in the media spotlight used to hide from them back in the day when he was wearing strips and boots. Changed days.
Sutton said: “I used to say to the boys in the dressing room that if you ever saw me working in the media, smash me in the face with a shovel.
“To be honest, I didn’t want to set myself up. When I was at Norwich, I went for a British record transfer fee that year and was courting all of the headlines. I liked it.
“Then when things went badly for me, I was like a big baby and didn’t enjoy the criticism and the flak I took.
“No one likes criticism but I understand the media far better now.”
Sutton’s work takes him all over the shop. At the age of 47, he’s been everywhere on the planet playing and talking football – sitting in commentary gantries and radio studios with some of the game’s characters.
Robbie Savage is his current FiveLive sidekick. Ian Wright was also on there with him every week during lockdown. There’s old team-mate Alan Shearer at the BBC and Ally McCoist on BT.
It’s a laugh at times, a battle in others but he loves it and said: “You meet some wonderful people. Some guys you played against you thought would be horrible but turned out to be lovely fellas. I can’t say names.
“Ian is one who you can bounce off. The great thing about him is that you never know what is coming next.
“Ally is brilliant to work with. He just livens up any show that he takes part in and I love the fact he gets asked a question and gives six different answers in the same response. It’s tremendous. You are bamboozled by the end.
"Some might be good at some things, others better in other aspects. It’s not easy, especially phone-ins. You can be caught off-guard at any time by a question.”
Sutton’s views can lead to confrontation. Managers have had a go at his opinions and players and fellow pundits can disagree with his views.
He has to call out individuals whom he played alongside and classes as friends. Celtic manager Neil Lennon, for example, was a team-mate, but that doesn’t exclude him from criticism if it was warranted.
Sutton said: “Anything else would be disrespectful bordering on abusive to an employer. If you don’t tell the truth, you shouldn’t be in the job.
“For example, people say I’m tough on Rangers, but if they win a league or a trophy, I’ll be the first one to dish out praise. I might have played for Celtic, but that doesn’t mean anything.
“There was a period when Ronny Deila was manager there and I thought it was being run badly, so I said so in no uncertain terms. Same as I criticised Brendan Rodgers for things during his time. I felt strongly.
“I would go to Celtic games for the TV and get absolute pelters from their supporters. I might have played for the club, but that means nothing when it comes to punditry.
“I like to think I’m very balanced. You can’t be anything else. Anyone who is a cheerleader gets found out.”
●You’re Better Than That! How to Fix Modern Football by Chris Sutton, Published by Monoray, £14.99, www.octopusbooks.co.uk
