Chris Sutton and management, what a combination.
Not many manager’s would turn down a team of Sutton’s, if Martin O’Neill had had his way he’d have had a Sutton at centre half, centre midfield and also centre forward.
It’s hard to make predictions on Sutton’s management potential because he was generally so damn good at concealing his feelings, with a few notable exceptions.
Sutton expects the best and has no time for slackers or anyone not prepared to give it 100%. Anyone taking liberties with him has an enemy for life.
Lincoln City certainly isn’t amongst the most desirable of clubs but Sutton seems happy to get hands on in the management game at the club that sent Graham Taylor all the way to the top in management.
SOME CLASSIC SUTTON CELTIC ACTION
The new Lincoln boss said: “I’m really pleased to get the opportunity to come here and manage and I want to take the club forward as quickly as I can.
INFRASTRUCTURE
“The setup here is fantastic. There is a good infrastructure, it just needs the team to start winning games on the pitch.
“Over the last couple of years I’ve thought about going into management and got organised. I’m ready and prepared.
“Now we want to get the team organised, get the confidence up and start winning football matches.
“We need to pick up a couple of results, and if we do that we’ll get some momentum and over the course of the next few months I’m convinced we’ll improve.”
Tonight against Notts County Sutton and assistant Iain Pearce will take a back seat before getting hands on with the team.
The former Celt’s matter of fact approach is impressive, he’s not one for dramatics or attention, getting the job done and getting results is all that matters. Some Lincoln players will probably be terrified of his reputation, others will thrive with him in charge, in any battle or scrap he’s the type that you’d want on your side.
DETERMINATION
There are some similarities in character between Sutton and Roy Keane, both have great self belief and determination, neither suffers fools, but as Keane is learning at Ipswich Town management demands much more than that.
Moving down the ladder and working with lesser players isn’t easy for someone who spent more than a decade at the very top of the game but coming through the ranks at Norwich City will stand Sutton in good stead for the job involved at Lincoln.
Strangely during his Celtic career he never received the outpouring of support that Henrik Larsson or John Hartson enjoyed however no one could be in any doubt about Sutton’s desire to succeed and the key role he played in the success of Martin O’Neill.
ADVOCAAT
As soon as he arrived at Celtic he made an impact, after scoring the winner on his debut at Dundee United he casually told television viewers that he wasn’t up here to finish second best to Rangers. Very undiplomatic to the mighty Advocaat bandwagon.
In his first game against Rangers he scored the first and last goals in a 6-2 win that changed the landscape of the domestic game, arguably Celtic are still feeling the benefits of that result and the successes of that season.
Most famously Sutton will be remembered for his comments as Celtic lost the title in 2002/03 when a 4-0 win at Kilmarnock wasn’t enough for the Uefa Cup finalists to retain the title due to Rangers 6-1 win over Dunfermline.
In the heat of the moment, the pain of defeat, and hinting at what many suspected Sutton spilled the beans saying: “We all suspected they might lie down and it looks like that is exactly what’s happened.”
What a stooshy that kicked up.
It ran for weeks on ends with all sorts of action suggested of Sutton who got his retraction sent out, served his ban then came back to help Celtic to the following season’s title thanks to a run of 25 wins out of the first 26 games with the championship clinched at Rugby Park.
WHITEWASH
Along the way was a memorable whitewash of Rangers with five wins in a season over the Ibrox side culminating in a last minute winner from Sutton at Celtic Park to create the picture shown above.
Sutton’s single-mindedness suggests that he’ll succeed in management, away from football he’s happier playing cricket or dealing with a farmyard full of animals that joining the celebrity circuit.
Watching his impact at Lincoln should be fascinating, any signs of success and he’ll quickly be on the radar of bigger clubs and without doubt join the growing list of potential Celtic managers of the future.
Former Celts in management. Tony Mowbray, Mark McGhee, John Hughes, Davie Moyes, Mick McCarthy, Malky Mackay, Roy Keane, Paul Lambert, Chris Sutton, Willie McStay.
Loved him as a player,loved his 100 per cent contribution in EVERY game ,in ANY postion,I wish him only the best in his new career.