OPINION
Chris Sutton opted to shield interim Celtic manager Neil Lennon from blame but did so by making a scapegoat out of Brendan Rodgers.
The outspoken pundit defended Lennon from criticism and claimed it was extremely harsh to aim negativity in the manager’s direction considering the state Rodgers had left the club in ahead of leaving to become Leicester City boss.
“This hasn’t just happened in recent months – the rot had set in more than a year ago,” wrote Sutton in his column for the Daily Record.
“Celtic already have more points than last season, so it’s not only this term. No one can deny Brendan Rodgers was an outstanding coach for Celtic and his success speaks for itself. You can’t argue with seven trophies on the spin.
“But he also allowed the club to regress over the last 12 months and has left a total mess for whoever is in charge to mop up in the summer.
“In fact, you could argue Celtic are in worse state now than when Rodgers came in on the back of Ronny Deila.
“There is an awful lot work required at the club but it’s extremely harsh to be aiming the negativity at Lennon.
“He laid his credentials on the line earlier this week and while he was well within his rights to stand up for himself, he shouldn’t have needed to.”
While Sutton is spot on to claim the criticism Lennon gets is a bit harsh, given how late in the season he took over, he didn’t have to shield him from blame by throwing Rodgers under the bus instead.
Sutton may call Rodgers an outstanding coach but to say he allowed the club to regress in the last year is out of order in many ways.
Celtic need a big summer in the transfer window not because of Rodgers but because of those above him.
The Hoops didn’t truly replace Moussa Dembele once he was sold to Lyon in the summer and in the January window they brought the likes of Oliver Burke and Timothy Weah to the club on a temporary basis only for them not to be up to scratch.
Rodgers didn’t have full control of Celtic’s transfer dealings so surely the right players not arriving at the club, which has seen the Hoops left in a terrible state, should see Sutton point his finger at Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell just as much as at the 46-year-old manager.
In fact the former Celtic boss vented his frustration over his squad at the start of September as he demanded answers, as reported on by the Daily Mail, over a miserable summer transfer window; so that doesn’t suggest he simply allowed the club to regress.
Rodgers was clearly trying to do all he can to get the board to act.
So with that in mind Sutton may be right to shield Lennon from his critics but the pundit is barking up the wrong tree to achieve that goal by making Rodgers a scapegoat.