Good Evening
Chris Sutton has gone so far out on a limb that even some Celtic fans may have found themselves thinking “Sutton actually made a decent point there”. [Yes it IS that rare an occurrence!].
Sutton offers the crazy ‘alternative’ view (not to be found elsewhere) that Celtic could possibly give Sevco a hiding in their upcoming Scottish Cup clash.
[*Gasp!*]
He also suggests that such an eventuality might be very bad news indeed for the apparently untouchable genius that is The Warbmeister.
[*Swoon*]
And he offers this hypothetical scenario shortly after having the temerity to ask how many of the Shimmering Sevco Starlets would get in the Celtic side. Thus activating Warbo’s ‘Disrespect Alarm’. Possibly.
[*Cue mass feinting of Clumpaneers*]
So what did Sutton have to say about the possibility of a heavy defeat for Sevco?
“I would suggest that puts Warburton right back to square one. Warburton is clearly a smart guy. He’s always talking up the English game, he’s always on the radio down south and it’s clear he’s making sure people keep hearing him in England.”
“However, I’d say Warburton isn’t doing anything with Rangers in the Scottish Championship that he shouldn’t be doing. Let’s not get too carried away as in the main Rangers should be smashing the likes of Alloa, Dumbarton and Livingston with their eyes closed. The Light Blues under- achieved massively last season and Warburton has come in, calmed things down and simply achieved what he should have league wise and improved the playing personnel. Hibs and, to a lesser extent Falkirk, are the only real competition in the Championship. Warburton has beaten them, yes, but he has lost to them both as well. Win one, lose one for a mid-table finish isn’t going to cut any ice with the Rangers fans when they get back to the Premiership.”
[“Back”, Chris?! Steady on!]
“Warburton took umbrage when his team were criticised for losing to St Johnstone in the League Cup earlier this season. He felt it was ridiculous to have his team subjected to an inquiry after one defeat. Excuse me if I have got this wrong but I haven’t seen him make similar comments about the hysteria that has followed last weekend’s Scottish Cup win over Dundee. If you don’t want judged on one-off games Mark then I won’t. I’m looking to judge the Ibrox side over a 38-game programme next season and, with the current squad, they look mid-table. I’ve said they could possibly beat Celtic in a one-off tie but not over 38 games.Nor Aberdeen and nor Hearts for that matter.
He’s going to know already his team needs serious strengthening for the Premiership. One 90-minute win over Dundee doesn’t change that so this is where the backing from the board comes in. I don’t know how much money Dave King has. Maybe he has an unlimited pot of gold under the bed ready to hand to Warburton when he wins promotion. However, what if he doesn’t?
What if the inability to capture the two targets Warburton identified in January comes back to repeat itself in the summer? Warburton wanted the Brentford player Toumani Diagouraga but he went to Leeds and the vibe was that Rangers didn’t have the cash to get him and Michael O’Halloran from St Johnstone.”
“Are you telling me Rangers* fans will be happy with digging in for a point at Inverness to secure a place in the top six next season while Celtic and Aberdeen are 30 points ahead fighting for the championship title? Of course not. That position would be real pressure for Warburton who seems to get irritated at the slightest thing. And who knows for sure if he’d fancy it?”
Ooooooft! Sutton shoots and scores!
- A realistic assessment of what Warbo ought to be achieving with the resources at his disposal in the second tier of Scottish football.
- Raising the question of whether Dave King actually does have a war chest to hand to his manager.
- Pointing out that Warbo appears so thinned-skinned that he often gets mistaken for a sheet of cellophane, and asking whether he would really be ‘up’ for a mid-table scrap in the Premiership.
This is not the sort of commentary that we are used to seeing in relation to the King Warbolution at Sevco. It might be reasonable and questioning commentary, but it sure as hell isn’t what gets published in some of the newspapers or uttered by pundits on the love-ins which masquerade as radio phone-ins.
Which tells us something unsettling about quite a lot of the football coverage in Scotland.
Well done Chris Sutton!
Now, your next challenge is to say something positive about Ronny Deila.
Chris? Chris? Come back Chris…..!
#KeepOnClumping
The Clumpany 
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