Chris Sutton and Stephen Craigan had a fierce row on BT Sport on Monday night after Sutton claimed Celtic’s Old Firm clash with Rangers on Sunday was basically an exhibition match.
Rangers won 2-0 against Celtic at Ibrox at the weekend with goals in each half by James Tavernier and Scott Arfield but it would be fair to say that Neil Lennon’s side looked as though they were already on the beach for most of the Glasgow derby.
Sutton has slammed the Gers players for their celebrations at the end of the match but fellow BT Sport pundit Craigan found the ex-Celtic striker’s claims bizarre in a feisty exchange between the pair.
“If I was a Rangers player, there were big celebrations at the end, I wouldn’t have celebrated, I would be feeling the disappointment, the frustration and the anger that they haven’t really pushed Celtic,” said Sutton, as shown on BT Sport Football’s Twitter account on Monday.
Craigan responded furiously by saying: “I can’t believe an ex-Celtic player [would say that]. You must have done the team talk yesterday. ‘It’s meaningless, non-contact, be passive’ because that’s what a bounce game is and that’s what Celtic played it as.
“Do you think that Neil Lennon sat last night and enjoyed that and thought ‘thank goodness that’s a bounce game’?”
Sutton replied: “You don’t have to be so angry.”
Craigan then said: “I’m not I just think you’re talking absolute nonsense.”
https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1127997390970130433
OPINION
Forget the context of the game, Rangers won 2-0 against their biggest rivals to continue their fine run of form in the last few weeks of the season – why should the players not celebrate? They beat a team that is better than them and Sutton doesn’t expect them to celebrate? Celtic were always going to win the title this season, even some Rangers fans would admit that it was a forgone conclusion at the start of the campaign. However the Gers have started to show signs that they are able to close the gap on their bitter rivals and that is a great sign ahead of next season, where the title race could be a lot closer than it has been this year. Craigan is spot on that Sutton gave Gerrard his team talk for him on Sunday because the laid back approach to the game by those affiliated with Celtic played right into the hands of the Light Blues, who were far superior and deserved their victory.