CHRIS SUTTON hasn’t pulled any punches when it comes to his old pal Neil Lennon.
The BT pundit believes under no circumstances should Neil Lennon be the Celtic manager next season, even if he goes from now until the end of the season unbeaten.
Chris believes any sort of form now is closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, Celtic’s title bid has been ridiculously poor and the Englishman even categorises it as one of the worst title bids on record from his old side.
“For me, Neil can’t be in charge. I don’t care whether he wins every game until the end of the season. This season has been a disaster. And I don’t like saying that as a former teammate.” Sutton told RecordSport.
“When you look back to last season, it’s the same core of players, so the simple question is: Why has the level dropped off so much?
“It’s the manager who carries the can and this has gone on for too long.
“It’s going to get more and more awkward if Neil carries on. He’s had four wins. Then it becomes eight wins and 10 wins and they think: Well maybe we’ve turned the corner.
“That isn’t the case for me. You look at the season as a whole. Celtic were embarrassed in European competitions.
“Celtic have regressed under Neil this season and that’s why there needs to be a new guy and then the overhaul can begin.
“How can overhaul begin when no-one knows what is going to happen next season.
“Just think about the impact it will have on the support going into next season if they do. How demoralised everyone is going to be.
“It’ll be as flat as a pancake at the start of the season. Imagine the pressure on the Champions League qualifiers, or end up drawing the first league of the season.
“Just imagine the atmosphere if the fans are back in the stadium at that point. It’s gone too far and too long. This just cannot carry on and I don’t know how long this is going to take.
“What has to happen? How bad does it actually have to get?
“It must be one of the worst if not the worst title defence on record. It was over in December. You can’t get away from that fact and Neil’s at the helm, so how can he survive this or expect to go into next season and the supporters to have faith in him?”
Neil Lennon has spoken about some people in the media lately and how some of them have sold their souls for their own gain. The manager has cut a solitary figure at times, pushing back against the criticism he’s been receiving.
Chris Sutton defended Neil Lennon for longer than other managers in the same position, but right now, he’s making it clear his old mate has to carry the can for the complete and utter failure this season has been.
The club are keeping their cards close to their chest in terms of what’s going to happen next.
