Chris: How To Fix Our Football

No messing... a TV pundit who tells it like it is

- Craig Swan 

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.