It’s unlikely that Chris Sutton will be invited to any functions hosted by the League Managers Association.
The former Celtic striker is carving out a fearsome reputation as a pundit with no one spared from his outspoken views.
In Scotland Mark Warburton has recently been bearing the brunt of Sutton’s views but there is little difference between those comments and the criticism that Ronny Deila took throughout most of his time at Celtic.
Sutton’s outspoken views have made him very much in demand with the BBC and Daily Mail keen to share his views as well as his regular slots on BT Sport and in the Daily Record.
Before Brendan Rodgers was appointed Celtic manager Davie Moyes would have been the choice of many to take over from Deila but the former Manchester United boss seemed to quietly drop out the running for the hoops job.
Instead Moyes took the Sunderland job vacated by Sam Allerdyce but after initially seeming to be the perfect fit it looks like the enormity of the task is proving too much.
Sunderland and Hull City are the bookies favourites to be relegated with Sutton pulling no punches over the state of the Wearside club.
“I know the Black Cats have got out of trouble before having found themselves in a similar situation but this time, after picking up only two points from their first nine games, things look really desperate for the only top-flight team without a win,” Sutton wrote in his BBC column.
“At least one element of their struggles seems to be self-inflicted, with everyone at the club feeling sorry for themselves – and not just because they have lost some players to injury and conceded some costly late goals.
“There is a negative feeling about the place with the manager David Moyes and his players talking about how they have gone backwards since last season, when they should be searching for any kind of spark that could change things around.
“From the outside, looking at the way they play and their lack of creativity, it is hard to see what that spark might be or what could fundamentally change under Moyes until the January transfer window opens.
Sutton added: “Off the pitch, Moyes has not helped himself much either.
There was no need for him to be so pessimistic when he came out after the second game of the season and announced they would be in a relegation fight, which did not send out the right message to his players or the fans.
“When he took charge, he had actually started out by being unrealistically positive talking about Sunderland becoming a club that regularly finished in the top half of the Premier League- but his expectations went downhill very quickly.
“It is hard to find any positives from Sunderland’s situation but at least they have not been cut adrift at the bottom – yet.
“Unless they win soon, that could happen. I think Hull are also in for a very tough season but when I look at the other two teams immediately above them, Boro and Swansea, they definitely have more about them than the Black Cats do.”
