Todd Cantwell’s Celtic Unravelling Is Another Big Win For Snarky Sutton’s Acid Pen.

I thought Chris Sutton had a terrible “game” the other day.

I thought his comments were daft at times, and bordered on the outrageous. His need to seem “balanced” tipped over into moronic suggestions that Celtic players who were simply showing determination to win the battle were “walking the tightrope” or risking red cards.

He was too quick to brand the “penalty” call as one and too fast to write off the vicious elbow in the face of Matt O’Riley.

I like Sutton. I don’t always agree with him.

But he knows what’s important and what isn’t and in the aftermath of the match he looked as pleased as The Village Idiot looked glum faced and scunnered. Sutton is far more professional than he is, and his glee was not out front and centre, but he looked positively beaming and well satisfied with what he had seen over the course of the game.

One moment other than the goals and the final whistle will have filled him with a savage joy which he must have fought manfully not to revel in; the moment when Cantwell went off to the sarcastic cheering of Celtic Park ringing in his ears.

Cantwell was owned in that game. Owned by McGregor, by Bernardo and by O’Riley. He looked lost against them, and the captain in particular who openly laughed at him at various stages in the match and seemed to be having a fine old time at his expense.

Sutton did not rub his face in it too much. Which I commend.

This is the ultimate proof of what a pro Sutton is in the pundit’s box; he criticised Cantwell but only in the context of the game. He did not bring out the flame thrower, as others – the spewing Village Idiot for example – would have undoubtedly done. He will save that for his columns or for his other media appearances over the course of the next few weeks, and Cantwell will feel the full force of it. There is no doubt that it will come because Sutton might be restrained but the player himself virtually begged for this and the big man will make sure he gets it.

Cantwell ought never to have gotten involved in a public spat with someone like Sutton. In order to even stand a chance in a debate of that sort you need to be as good as you think you are, and even if Cantwell were ten times better than he is that’s still ten times less than he needs to be to reach those standards. He really does see himself as a superstar amongst lesser mortals in this league, and everywhere he goes there are halfwits like Jackson to feed his ego.

Sutton did his homework on this guy. Sutton knows that several managers at Norwich didn’t fancy him. He blames Cantwell and others for getting The Mooch the sack. He knows that Clement has grave doubts already and has expressed them in public, and his joke about how the only thing Cantwell did the last time he came up against us in a major match was steal a water bottle “not the ball, a bottle” was especially funny because it was true.

Cantwell is lucky to be at a club where he’s valued at all, but performances such as the one he turned it at Celtic Park will see him out the door before long. Ibrox’s amazing habit of finding sub-par players and lying to themselves about how good they are until they no longer can or will, and then jettisoning them as utter failures continues to grow. He is but the latest in a long line including Kent and Morelos. There are several in the current side, like Raskin, but Cantwell is in a class of his own because he believes every bit of his own hype.

Sutton has played with, and against, too many top players to be fooled by this prancing wannabe who our former striker has accused of having a Tik-Tok obsession when he should be focussed and driven to succeed in the job he’s paid to do.

Sutton, on the other hand, continues to do his and whether I’m in agreement with him from one week to the next or not, he’s a professional and he acts like one. Had Cantwell done the same he would not presently be in that man’s gunsights and waiting for the shot to ring out. It will come, there is nothing surer. And he deserves it.