Monday 19 May 2008

Sutton

So. Chris Sutton. Stalwart of the Martin O'Neil era, perfect foil for Henrik Larsson, and all round hunskelper par excellence. As with nearly all of the MON era Celtic players Sutton's contribution to the Celtic cause is probably slightly under appreciated - lost in the glare and euphoria over the achievements of a certain Swedish superstar. But his contribution was no less important than that of Mr Larsson.

According to Soccerbase, in his 5 seasons at Celtic Park Sutton scored 86 goals in 199 appearances, including 63 league goals in 127 starts. That's a respectable tally by any standard. But he brought so much more to the team than goals. An incredibly versatile player, Sutton could do it all - and did. From marshalling the back line from the centre of defence to leading the line up front, Chris Sutton did a job for Celtic all over the park. And in a team full of captains, he stood as tall as any.

He provided us with some magical moments too. Who could forget that header in Amsterdam, or his volley against Juve at Celtic Park? Or the last minute winner against Rangers to complete the whitewash - a goal which sums up pretty neatly his time at Celtic park; Strong and skillful, mobile, excellent linkup play and a just a hint of contempt for those in blue. But perhaps the best compliment I can pay Chris Sutton is that without him alongside, Henrik Larsson would not have been the same player.

Enjoy...


Sutton from celtic clips on Vimeo.