CHRIS SUTTON has branded comments from John Barnes over Brendan Rodgers as “laughable”.
The one-time Celtic flop boss, sacked after only nine disastrous months in charge, has popped his head above the parapet to make some fairly ludicrous observations of the current gaffer.
Apparently, Rodgers has opted for an easy life, according to the manager who oversaw the worst result in the club’s history, the 3-1 Scottish Cup nosedive against second-tier Inverness Caley Thistle at Parkhead quarter of a century ago.
Former Hoops goal hero Sutton said: “As criticisms go, this was a bizarre one. John Barnes coming out and taking a bit of a pop at Brendan Rodgers was a real eyebrow-raiser.
UNDER PRESSURE…John Barnes during his torrid nine months in the Celtic dug-out.
“Barnes has got a bit of a cheek saying Rodgers has an easy life at Celtic. As someone who has been the manager of the club, you’d think he’d know better.
“It wasn’t easy for him during his time in charge. It didn’t look easy falling 20-odd points behind Rangers in the title race back then. It wasn’t easy to beat Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup.
“If anything, Barnes made a difficult job harder than it was.”
Barnes swept into Parkhead in the summer of 1999 as part of the ‘dream team’ along with club legend Kenny Dalglish, his ex-Liverpool team-mate, and was allowed to spend a-then record £5.75million on West Ham midfielder Eyal Berkovic, but it became obvious in the first half of his debut campaign he was struggling with the incessant pressure of the job.
Sutton, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “I loved Barnes as a player. But to suggest Rodgers has an easy life in Scotland is laughable.
“Let’s be clear, Rodgers had made it look easy. This is a manager who is on track to win 12 out of 13 competitions he’s entered.
HAMPDEN PRIZE GUY…Brendan Rodgers holds aloft the Premier Sports League Cup after Celtic’s penalty-kick shoot-out success over Philippe Clement’s Ibrox outfit in mid-December.
“I don’t care what state Rangers or whoever else are in, that is a remarkable return. It’s up there among the best any boss has managed at the club or in the country.
“The consistency shown over his two spells has been incredible. It’s not easy winning every week. It’s not easy dealing with the demands of having to win every week and every single trophy.
“And not many managers are capable of dealing with it. Ask Martin O’Neill if the Celtic job is a breeze. Ask Gordon Strachan, or Neil Lennon, Ronny Delia or Ange Postecoglou.”
One-time England international striker Sutton added: “Yes, Celtic might have a bigger budget than the rest, but making it count is a difficult balancing act.
“This is a job where draws are a disaster and defeats are a catastrophe. Across the city, the demands are similar and it’s churned up plenty of managers.
“Barnes went on to admit there are unrealistic expectations of the club in the Champions League. What part of that is easy, then?
“Celtic managers are expected to get to the knock-out stages of Europe’s premier competition – with a budget comparable with teams in the English Championship.
HEAVEN’S ABOVE…Brendan Rodgers looks skywards as Celtic come within seconds of a famous win over Bayern Munich in Germany last month.
“If you parachuted the likes of Burnley into the Champions League, most people would expect them to get battered.
“But Celtic have to hold their own – and they did that this year. There’s nothing easy about it. And this week won’t have been easy on the back of defeat to Rangers.
“The club are 13 points clear and in the hunt for a treble – but supporters have been miserable all week.
“That’s the challenge of this job.
“Celtic brought in Paul Tisdale to sort out the recruitment after Rodgers admitted in recent years it hasn’t been up to scratch.
“Well, now we’ll find out what the football doctor is all about.
“Rodgers has his work cut out to achieve again next season – and it will be far from easy.”
With just eight Premiership games to play before Celtic inevitably collect their fourth successive title, the countdown continues when the manager and his players go back into action again a week today when Hearts provide the opposition at Parkhead.
