Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has not held back in his latest Daily Record column, taking aim at Rangers manager Philippe Clement for his recent remarks about Celtic’s finances.
Sutton has branded the Belgian’s comments as “excuse after laughable excuse,” pointing out that Rangers’ current struggles stem from their inability to overcome teams with far smaller budgets, rather than any disparity with Celtic.
Clement has repeatedly referenced Celtic’s financial power in interviews, most recently before Rangers’ draw with Dundee.
Sutton was quick to highlight the absurdity of those claims, particularly in the context of Dundee’s depleted squad, which had 10 players out.
He wrote: “The Belgian waffle is getting worse every week. It’s excuse after laughable excuse. Clement had the brass neck to talk about injury problems the other night when Dundee had 10 players out – including arguably their best player in Lyall Cameron.
“Tony Docherty had two goalkeepers on his bench and others who had school the next day. Clement had some cheek and his sly digs at Celtic’s budget are another joke.
“He can’t moan about Celtic’s resources when he can’t get results against teams who have a fraction of the money he has.”
While Clement continues to harp on about Celtic’s spending power, there is one key difference: Celtic’s success is built on smart player trading and astute investments, while Rangers have squandered significant sums on players who have failed to deliver.
Celtic’s ability to sell players like Matt O’Riley for £30m and reinvest wisely has been pivotal in maintaining their dominance. Rangers, on the other hand, have struggled to see similar returns on their signings, making Clement’s comments ring hollow.
Sutton’s critique ultimately circles back to one core issue: Rangers’ inability to beat teams they should comfortably dispatch. The former striker stressed that the 15-point gap at the top of the table isn’t about Celtic’s budget but about Clement’s inability to get results, even against the likes of Dundee and Motherwell.
