9th August 2026; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Kasper Hogh of Celtic celebrate with the match ball after his hat trick
Leather it- or as he puts it in his Daily Record column ‘f**k it’.
As almost the whole world knows Hogh hasn’t scored since netting a hat-trick away to Kilmarnock on August 9.
All sorts of damning stats have been thrown in his direction.
Even his Denmark time is being used to add four non-scoring appearances to his stats. His recent Nations League appearances aggregated 24 minutes on the pitch.
Hogh has played 515 minutes in the SPFL, 107 in the Europa League, 131 in the League Cup and 210 in Champions League qualifiers.
How much of that has been with two wingers can’t be detailed.
What is clear is that he isn’t fluffing chances being created by Liel Abada, James Forrest, Jota and Daizen Maeda.
Sutton knows the drill as a striker and a Celtic player.
The pressure, the expectations and rewards.
Sutton experienced it all during five years under Martin O’Neill then being eased out the door by Gordon Strachan.
From the Demolition Derby and Whitewash through to a red card at Ibrox and missing a penalty in a cup final.
SUTTON OFFERS HIS EXPERIENCE TO MISFIRING HOGH
Putting on his strikers hat in the Daily Record Sutton assessed the situation Hogh is in at Celtic.
I watched him in the warm up the other week and he was slowing things down, taking extra effort to place his shots in the net, being very deliberate.
He should try the opposite. It’s time for the ‘f*** it’ approach. Almost play like you don’t care.
I feel sorry for Hogh right now. He got hooked again at half-time and it’s become a regular theme.
His confidence must be hit but it’s not going to help build him back up when he’s getting left in the dressing room after 45 minutes or hooked soon after.
Sutton added:
People are bashing him on the head with the number of games he’s gone without a goal, but how many of them has he had 90 minutes?
He’s not exactly missing chance after chance because Celtic are not creating chance after chance for him.
There was a big one at Hibs he should have scored but against Dundee United the other night he didn’t get much to go on, with strikers Camilo Duran and Callum Osmand playing in the wide roles.
Hogh did really well to set up Duran’s goal and it was superb back-heel to tee up Benjamin Nygren for what should have been another.
But there wasn’t much else to go on and he simply must have been frustrated watching the second half with Jota and Haissem Hassan on the pitch lobbing crosses into the box with no-one there to take them.
I get the need to keep Duran on the pitch as he is more of a goal threat right now but I still thought it was a strange decision.
Hogh thrives on the services of wingers – but rarely gets to play with them.
Celtic have three more matches before the international break.
Since the Besiktas match is virtually a right off that leaves a trip to the Falkirk plastic and Kilmarnock at home for Hogh to end his drought. If not it extends into late November.
His situation underlines the need for new signings to be in for pre-season and the haphazard nature of Celtic recruitment.
Every position needed strengthened in the summer.
Transfer fees were paid for give players, Joel van den Berg has yet to play.
Of the other four fees paid two were for strikers with Celtic strictly a 4-3-3 side.
After day one of pre-season at Lennoxtown O’Neill talked about tweeting the system. Whatever that was it wasn’t for the better with the team playing this season largely without wingers.
Players need team-mates and a functioning system. Sutton wouldn’t have achieved 50% of his honours if he was left on his own up front without Alan Shearer or Henrik Larsson.
An urgent call to Harry Kewl to one on one Coach Hogh. This was the thing that helped Daizen and turned him into a League and Cup winning striker.