Former England and Celtic striker Chris Sutton has predicted the Hoops will end up winning the Scottish Premiership by 12 points rather than 15 in a damning verdict on his old side’s plight this season.
The Hoops have endured their worst start to a domestic campaign for two decades after suffering defeat to Kilmarnock on Sunday and are now six points off table toppers Hearts, who themselves are five points clear of the rest of the chasing pack, which includes Rangers and Hibernian.
When probed about his early prediction that the Bhoys would storm to a 15 point gap come the end of the campaign, Sutton reassessed the situation, slashing three points off as he expects a resurgence from Brendan Rodgers’ men.
When asked about his claim and whether he had changed his mind, he told BT Sport: “Maybe 12. Things aren’t good.
“(Celtic) have been desperately poor this season, they have been boring to watch – very, very ordinary, they need to liven themselves up. Too many of the so-called big players have under performed.
“I think they will kick into gear eventually. Eventually!”
"John McGinn. Goal of the century!"
"It will never be bettered!"@chris_sutton73 has spoken ?https://t.co/kEanXj82Ln
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 25, 2018
Opinion
Sutton cannot take those green and white hooped spectacles off, can he? The Bhoys have been dire to watch this season and there can be no guarantees that they are going to keep a hold of their title come the end of the campaign. There will be many who share the pundit’s opinion that the Hoops have got to come good at some point but their early form is hardly inspiring any sort of confidence. Whatever has gone wrong, Rodgers needs to address it as soon as possible or face the reality that Celtic are no longer the dominant force in Scottish football, and that their rivals have well and truly deposed them from the top of the pile. Will Sutton’s prediction of a 12 point gap come true? The next couple of weeks could well determine that – if the Bhoys get back to firing on all cylinders then they can overtake their rivals and blaze to another title win, but if they keep faltering, the gap will be too big, and they might have to settle for a narrow title battle at the top.