Chris Sutton has branded Cameron Carter-Vickers' comments after Celtic's defeat to Rangers as "pathetic" and a "cop-out," insisting the defender was passing the buck to manager Martin O'Neill and his coaching staff.
Writing in his column, Sutton said he has been a huge admirer of Carter-Vickers over the years and has constantly sung his praises. However, the defender's post-match remarks about the random way of playing, the messaging, and players freezing on the pitch because they were unsure where to run were disgraceful.
"It was a cop-out. Whether he meant it or not, he was passing the buck back to the manager and the coaches – and it's not on. It was pathetic," Sutton wrote. He added that such thoughts should be aired in-house rather than in public, and that Carter-Vickers had "chucked petrol on the flames" in a tough situation.
O'Neill's standards
Sutton claimed the Martin O'Neill of 25 years ago wouldn't have stood for it, saying Carter-Vickers' feet wouldn't have hit the floor. He also noted that the O'Neill of 20-odd years ago wouldn't have voiced his own doubts so publicly either, but that this has crept in during his time back at Celtic.
O'Neill has voiced doubts about continuing in the role following recent results, and Sutton said the manager created the narrative that he was thinking about walking away. Sutton doesn't know if O'Neill will go, but thinks it would have happened by now if he was going to, and that the players should also take stock.
Players must step up
Sutton acknowledged Celtic have tactical issues and that O'Neill hasn't got his selections or tactics bang-on every time, but said it all goes back to problems higher up the club. He questioned whether O'Neill is changing formation and line-ups because he wants to or because he has to, noting the manager was badly let down in the transfer window and the squad has glaring deficiencies.
"The last thing he needs is key members of his dressing room revolting in public," Sutton wrote. He argued that top professionals can smell out danger and take appropriate action, and don't need to be spoon-fed everything or held by the hand for 90 minutes. Carter-Vickers is 28 and Callum McGregor is 33, he said, not 12.
Sutton suggested the players were so programmed under Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou that they can't think for themselves, and that they shouldn't mope about playing out of position either. He recalled his own experience under Gordon Strachan, who often played him as a holding midfielder – not his favoured position, but he didn't moan about it in public.
Finding a way
Sutton also took issue with McGregor's pre-match comments about O'Neill's first spell at Celtic and the team liking to go direct. He said McGregor was "miles out," noting there was variation in their game and they could mix it up, which is exactly what Celtic need right now.
If O'Neill is up for going on, Sutton said there will need to be full and frank conversations in the dressing room, and he'll need to find a way to get the players on board. He pointed to Alistair Johnston's return as a huge boost if he can stay fit, and Yang Hyun-jun returning from the Asian Games as helpful. He cautioned against hanging their hat on Jota after so long out.
Sutton concluded that Celtic should have enough to cope domestically, but O'Neill, his coaches, and the players will have to work out a way to be harder to play against when facing better teams. "Martin will need to fix the roof while the rain is pouring in but he did it last year and will have to again now. He can't do it all on his own, though, as the players need to step up and stop looking for excuses."
