Chris Sutton fears Celtic dressing-room disconnect after ‘disgraceful’ Carter-Vickers remarks | OneFootball

Chris Sutton has admitted he is concerned for Martin O’Neill and believes Cameron Carter-Vickers’ “disgraceful” comments point towards a disconnect between the Celtic players and their manager.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 29: Cameron Carter-Vickers of Celtic is seen prior to the William Hill Premiership 2026/27 match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

O’Neill is considering his future at Parkhead following a damaging run of three successive defeats, with losses to Rangers coming either side of Celtic’s 3-1 Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros.

The 74-year-old revealed after Sunday’s 1-0 derby defeat that he would reflect on his position, and Sutton, who played under O’Neill during his first spell at Celtic, has expressed concern over his former manager.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton said: “I’m just concerned about him.

“He had an operation not so long back. He hasn’t looked particularly well.

“The stress he has been under – you think about what he did last season, going back once, then going back again, getting Celtic over the line, all that drama.

“Getting the job in the summer, I didn’t necessarily want him to take it, because that was like a perfect finish.

“I hated seeing him doing the press conference [post-match on Sunday]. He looks tired. He offered that comment [on considering his future]. That doesn’t bode well.

“A lot of the age stuff has been thrown at him, and I wonder if it’s all a bit too much.

“He’s clearly thinking about pulling the plug on it, which many of the players, based on Carter-Vickers’ comments, may want. I thought that was disgraceful, what he said.”

Carter-Vickers delivered a frank assessment following the defeat to Rangers, claiming Celtic lacked an identity and had been “too random” in their play.

The American international also called for “consistency of messaging, consistency of ideas, consistency of effort” as Celtic attempt to recover from their difficult spell.

Sutton described those remarks as “astonishing” and interpreted them as direct criticism of O’Neill and his coaching staff.

He added: “That is a criticism of the manager. Why did he say that? I don’t get it. It’s about players taking responsibility.

“Why is it always down to the manager and coaching staff to tell players exactly? It used to happen when I played, we’d make a decision on the pitch.

“I don’t know why the onus is always on the manager. These aren’t 12-year-olds.

“There’s a lot of experience in the team.”

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