Chris Sutton wants to see the big Champions League nights back at Celtic Park.
The BT Sport pundit has cut a frustrated figure over the last two seasons watching his old side toil through Europa League campaigns with Celtic Park well short if it’s capacity.
Watching Celtic slide from one misfortune to the next, repeating the same mistakes was tough going on the striker signed by Martin O’Neill for £6m in 2000.
Progress tonight past Astana will give Sutton a ringside seat for the play-off round and hopefully the return of the big time after a painful two year absence.
Looking towards tonight’s match Sutton tweeted: “Champions League just isn’t the same without big nights at Celtic Park. Big performance required. Feed Griffiths defend well and job done.”
Champions League just isn’t the same without big nights at Celtic Park. Big performance required. Feed Griffiths defend well and job done??????
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) August 3, 2016
Sutton enjoyed many famous Champions League nights at Celtic Park including a double in a 4-3 win over Juventus and a great strike in a commanding 2-0 win over Lyon.
His role as a pundit has often taken him into conflict with Celtic supporters, many believing that he was unduly harsh on Ronny Deila as an act of support to his former team-mate Neil Lennon.
Unlike many Scottish based pundits Sutton isn’t afraid to reveal where his passions lie, a stance that seems to be encouraged by BT Sport.
Recalling his initial days at Celtic Sutton said: “When I arrived I wanted to put Rangers in their place. I felt strongly about this. I came to Scotland to be a winner and be successful.
“I had a bad year at Chelsea the previous season and wasn’t ready for another. We beat Rangers 6-2 at Parkhead in my first Old Firm game. In that match I was up against Lorenzo and Bert Konterman.
“I found Amoruso to be a good motivation. He fancied himself and had a real arrogance about him.
“That was like a red rag to a bull for me. I wanted to dominate him, show him who was boss.
“I had it in my mind before that game that I wanted to get on the pitch and smash him around. Winning personal battles on the pitch was a big part of my game.
“I used to think about how I was going to get the better of my direct opponent, to out-think, out-muscle and even out-manoeuvre him. We won and I scored twice.”
The week after that match Ronald de Boer signed for Rangers enticed by the illegal Discounted Option Scheme, four months later Tore Andre Flo signed at Ibrox for the same reason. In June 2012 Rangers were put into liquidation.
