Chris Sutton believes Celtic’s “best case scenario” this season may fall short of the Scottish Premiership title.
As the campaign heads into its final stretch, a sense of doubt has started to creep in among voices connected to the club, with Sutton leading that conversation.
His earlier suggestion that Celtic are no longer feared has since been backed up by Frank McAvennie and Andy Walker. These are not opinions coming from the outside. They are coming from figures who know the club well.
Still, Sutton’s latest remarks feel more like a forecast than a final judgement. He simply cannot see his former manager Martin O’Neill getting his hands on the league trophy come May.
Chris Sutton says Celtic’s season would be ‘done’ if they lose to St Mirren in Scottish Cup:
Sutton wrote in his column for the Daily Record: “When O’Neill ended his first spell at the club back in 2005, he walked out the door with a Scottish Cup to make up in some way for losing the title on the final day.
“To me, that is his best case scenario this time around as well because I’ve said it constantly, Celtic won’t win this title.
“It’s not going to happen bar some serious blunders by both Hearts and Rangers.
“So, in that respect, Hampden is absolutely vital on Sunday. Defeat to Saints again just like the Premier Sports Cup Final and the season is just about done.
“The anger in the stands will be through the roof and the last five games in the league could be awful.
“Win it and there’s some bounce, some positivity to take into a title effort which is hanging by a thread.”
It is worth noting that Celtic did come out on top in their last outing, but it was far from convincing. Too many matches this season that should have been straightforward have turned into difficult battles.
That said, results have still been coming in, something that was not the case during Wilfried Nancy’s short spell in charge.
Sutton’s reference to the 2004 to 2005 campaign brings back memories of a painful title loss that overshadowed a Scottish Cup triumph just days later.
Celtic’s previous meetings with St Mirren this season:
St Mirren opened their season with a trip to Celtic Park, where they were beaten 1-0 thanks to a late Luke McCowan strike under Brendan Rodgers.
The return fixture in Paisley followed a similar script, with Callum McGregor scoring a late long range effort after a difficult performance from O’Neill’s side.
The Premier Sports Cup final came early in Nancy’s time in charge, but by the final whistle, the problems already felt deeper than a single result.
Last weekend’s meeting was tight once again, settled by a single goal, though Craig McLeish has taken encouragement from how his side performed.