Chris Sutton has been talking about the personal cost he has had to endure talking about football for a living. Unfortunately for Sutton, the straight talking, high profile pundit both on the Scottish game and also English football, he pays a higher price than others presumably because of his forthright opinions and his affiliation with Celtic.
Pundits like Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller, Neil McCann, Ally McCoist or Barry Ferguson – there are so many of them working in the mainstream media in Scotland – all have clear affiliation with theRangers and make no secret of it. They can be targeted by the occasional unfriendly chant at a match but that’s as far as it goes. Talk up Celtic, however and well that’s a completely different story.
Maybe it’s why the likes of Andy Walker never does, but is happy to side with theRangers (as he did earlier this week on the disallowed goal at Ibrox) or attack the Celtic fans. He’ll know he’ll get a bit of stick for that from Celtic supporters but it’s better than what would come his way if he was as unrepentant as Chris Sutton, whose affection from Celtic only started when he signed for the club from Chelsea back in 2000.
Charlie Nicholas is another one, so too Pat Kevin who went further than the rest by actually changing the club he supporters from Celtic to Hibs. Who actually does that?
Sutton has been speaking to the new Daily Mail podcast and was frank in his revelation about what has come his way since starting his career in the media. Remember it was only last weekend that Sutton was allowed back inside Ibrox because for the previous two years he has been banned by the 2012 formed football club playing there these days because their Board admitted that they could not guarantee his safety.
Sutton told the sordid story of Scotland’s Shame on the Mail Online’s ‘It’s Coming Up’ podcast, although he didn’t quite go as far as to name the support who have been targeting him. he does mention that he also played for Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers but any involvement from supporters hating those two clubs would seem far fetched given his third club is Celtic. So it’s safe to join the dots is it not?
Sutton said: “Somebody tried to attack me before in a hotel bar. I’ve had a death threat. I’ve had a car mount the pavement and career towards me.
“I’ve been abused quite badly. I’d say possibly three times over the years, on an airplane by mobs. There’s not like you can do much about it. I broadcast in a way where I try to be honest, not everyone agrees with my opinion. But I think you’ll know this yourself. As a broadcaster, you have to have thick skin.
“How do you deal with it the death threat? I reported it to the police. With the abuse on an airplane, I just sat through it, took off, got off at the other end.
“What can I do If I argue back. If I shout back. Essentially the way I see it and everybody handles things differently, If I bite back then I’ve lost haven’t I? And done exactly what the mob want me to do in terms of getting in a row with people. So the best thing to do is to ignore and move on.”
Sutton was asked if he considered quitting his media work as a result of this level of threats and intimidation. “Not at all in terms of my style. My style is my style. I mean, the concern for me would be the effect things have on my family. Social media is a really vitriolic place and you know there’ve been certain things which have been posted about my about my dad who you know has dementia which were upsetting, stuff about my daughter.
“I try and be open and up front. I’m not on Instagram so I post a lot of things on Twitter (now X) and most people I think are nice, decent people who understand what Twitter is and you can have a bit of back and forth. But it’s society, isn’t it? There’s always that minority of stupid people who spoil it for other people. But in terms of the way I broadcast, I have my style, the style which I think is best.
“I try and be open and honest and blunt. I don’t get everything right. Of course, nobody does get everything right. But the most important thing is to say things as I see them.
“I have had a playing career, so that affiliation with Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic, I have a strong affiliation with those particular clubs. but that doesn’t at all influence the way that I broadcast. I’ve been critical of all three clubs subsequently since I’ve been playing. Those were clubs which I had happy memories for. But that part of my career is gone now. I work in the media, and I have an obligation for the people to work as hard as I possibly can for them and give my honest opinion.”
His former Celtic teammate Neil Lennon knows all about what Sutton has gone through. Lennon has twice been assaulted in the street, he’s been attacked on the touchline while doing his job, he has received bullets in the post and he has received numerous death threats because of where he is from and because of his association with Celtic.
On Sunday there were no away fans at the Glasgow Derby after seven Celtic fans had been hit by bottles thrown from the home support. The Rangers board admitted to Celtic that the away section was unsafe and are planning to install nets – incidentally that story was published on The Celtic Star (exclusively) the evening before Scottish Sun claimed it as their own exclusive! How does that work?
READ THIS…Senior Celtic Source – Rangers agreed that Ibrox corner is unsafe and plan to install nets
A Rangers ultra was this week found guilty of trying to smuggle a weapon into Ibrox ahead of a match against Celtic last season. A Celtic employee was scared for life after a glass was smashed against his head in April 2022 at half-time as he headed up the tunnel (they now have that pull-out tunnel extension to avoid similar incidents COMING FROM THE CORPORATE SEATS! The offender has been jailed for that serious assault.
Joe Hart had broken glass thrown onto his goal-mouth in the same match and we could go on and on. Many journalists who have tried to speak out have been targeted and even lost their jobs as as result of pressure brought to bear on newspaper editors. Others reckon that upsetting the Bears is not worth the hassle for the money that they are on.
Jim Spence told the truth about what liquidation really means and was chased out of the BBC. And we could go on and on.
So Sutton having had a dose of the same treatment will come as no surprise to anyone reading this, Scotland’s shame indeed or maybe it has something to do with Norwich or Blackburn after all…look, it’s a flying pig!
