BT Sport Want Probe Into Gers Snub

[compo 7,044]

One of the signs of being a good communicator is being able to handle the press and to use them .

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Rangers fans shouldn't be subjected to Sutton commentating on our games.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,752]

Chris Sutton slams 'petulant' Mark Warburton after Rangers Friday night BT boycott

 

06:00, 17 Oct 2016

Updated 07:30, 17 Oct 2016

By Craig Swan

 

GERS boss Warburton shunned BT after the televised clash with Inverness and has previously dismissed Sutton's punditry.

 

CHRIS SUTTON last night insisted Mark Warburton’s respect campaign has gone out of the window after his blanking of BT Sport.

 

And the Record Sport columnist can’t understand why the Rangers manager won’t just front him or his colleagues up if he has an issue with their views.

 

Sutton was a member of the BT team at Inverness on Friday night for their coverage of the match against Rangers in the Highlands.

 

The no-show of Warburton or any of his managerial team after the game for interview has sent the broadcaster to the SPFL to seek clarification on their contractual rights in the multi-million deal they have with the Scottish game.

 

Sutton, though, is miffed at the Ibrox stance.

 

And he feels Warburton’s absence from the camera shows a blatant disrespect towards a major investor in the game and smacks of a petty attitude.

 

Sutton said: “What sort of broadcasting are we going to have in Scotland if you can only say what people at football clubs want to hear?

 

“That goes against free speech. Without that and a democracy, it goes against the principles of what the country is about.

 

“You might as well not go on air. Or just show the game and not have an opinion.

 

“Mark likes to use the word respect.

 

“This is a guy who confronted referee John Beaton in a rage on the pitch at Pittodrie, that lacks respect

 

“Now he has shown that he has no respect for BT Sport, a company who has invested an awful lot of money into the game.

 

“Football clubs should have no control over what a newspaper writes or what a TV channel says. If they do, it becomes a dictatorship.

 

“We take pride in what we say, we are extremely passionate about Scottish football and I don’t think we can be accused of being biased to anyone.

 

“People point to the fact I’m a former Celtic player. So what? Last season, I was highly critical of Ronny Deila’s work.

 

“I was critical of Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell for sticking with Deila for too long and I was critical of many of Celtic’s performances, just as I praised them when they played well.

 

“At Inverness the other night, most of the post-match was taking up by discussing how well Rangers had played to get their win. The programme was extremely positive about the performance.

 

“They are rightly praised if they do well and criticised if they don’t, just like any club in any country on ant TV channel in the world.

 

“I try to give a balanced view and we are meticulous in our approach. We don’t just turn up, we take care, try to engage the public and make our programmes watchable.”

 

Sutton can’t understand the approach of Warburton.

 

The Rangers manager dismissed his opinions a few weeks ago saying he would only listen to people he respected.

 

Sutton says Warburton is perfectly entitled to that stance, but then responded: “He is entitled to defend himself just as every manager I’ve played under has done, rather than acting cloak and dagger and be cryptic.

 

“To me, it’s petulant.

 

“Be specific because, if it’s down to me, I’m as in the dark as anyone. Is it me or someone else? What’s the actual issue?

 

“The press conference last week where I thought Mark looked like a small child after being urged to leave the room was a disagreement with Sky.

 

“He should have taken control of the situation. Like a Walter Smith would have done.

 

“Yet I believe Mark then did an interview with Sky after the game in Inverness.

 

“So the Sky reporter is stopped in his tracks, slapped down and yet Mark speaks to them.

 

“Wouldn’t it be courteous to be told why that happened?

 

“Incidentally, that press conference incident happened after questions about Joey Barton.

 

“Barton was Warburton’s marquee signing in the summer, he’s hardly played and now he’s not there anymore.

 

“Whatever the reasons behind it, people like myself are asking questions and why he signed him.

 

“What do Rangers expect? It’s only natural.

 

“I’ve been there before. People questioned why Chelsea signed me for £10 million after I had a shocker.

 

“Did i like it? No. But did I accept it had to happen? Of course.

 

“Why wouldn’t you ask questions when a big-money signing doesn’t perform?

 

“As the Rangers manager, Mark has every right to pull me apart on something I have said.

 

“He can strip it back, take issue and explain why it’s bang out of order.

 

“But he hasn’t. Why not?”

 

When asked if he had tried to speak directly with Warburton, as he did with Deila last term, Sutton said: “Yes I have spoken to Mark after the Queen of the South game, but that was a private conversation and I am not willing to divulge the details. That’s not acceptable practice.”

 

But he added: “I tried to contact Mark again since Inverness and he has not responded.

 

“Maybe, he’s been busy. I understand that. We all have busy diaries. But if he has a problem, why can’t it be sorted man-to-man?”

 

Sutton insists he will not change from giving honest assessments and concluded: “I can’t answer what would happen without TV money, but what I can do is stay honest in my opinions.

 

“After Rangers lost 5-1 at Celtic, Mark said there was no gulf. I took issue with that.

 

“He defended Barton earlier in the season over comments, now we’re asking why he’s not involved. Natural.

 

“I said Mark would be under big pressure regards his job if Rangers had lost to Queen of the South and Aberdeen in two games after the Celtic defeat. It didn’t happen, but I believe it would have been.

 

“I said Mark’s team is very good on eye, but a bit one-dimensional. I stick by that.

 

“The football can also be slick at times and impressive. It was in Inverness for long spells and I stated this fact. It was an excellent win.

 

“You have to say what you see.

 

“What is supposed to happen when Rangers lose games and don’t play well?

 

“Do you say, well done to the players, well done to Mark and well done to Rangers. Great stuff. We’ll be back after the adverts. That’s just silly.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/chris-sutton-slams-petulant-mark-9059092

 

The notion that Sutton is accusing anyone of petulance is laughable. Does no-one remember his pathetic wee rant in 2003? The guy is an arrogant, rude and utterly weird headline seeking clown.

[ian1964 10,724]

The notion that Sutton is accusing anyone of petulance is laughable. Does no-one remember his pathetic wee rant in 2003? The guy is an arrogant, rude and utterly weird headline seeking clown.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJcLgYBFRW0

[Blinkyman 0]

I believe that Rangers PR &/or Manager handled 'attention seeker' Sutton/BT with the utter contempt they deserved.

 

Unfortunately it fits right into the agenda of these hyenas at the Rhecord and their like that regurgitate this bile they call journalism daily.

Spinning controversy to manufacture news is still trash/garbage and no better than Hollywood & 'Wag the Dog'.

 

What do we get - replay after replay of selected 'alleged' yellow or red cards and 'call a friend' Howard Webb.

 

And they want to be taken seriously ..................................

[Uilleam 5,940]

The guy on the fhilth board, who, less than surprisingly, was victim of anti-semitic abuse by supporters, was a board member at BT, also, was he not?

 

Where is he now? If the 'special relationship' forged by him, still holds, we can expect nothing from BT Sport.

[26th of foot 6,082]

Imagine Chris Sutton emoting on the word, 'respect'?

 

That would be the respect he showed his fellow professionals, particularly the Dunfermline players who had just succumbed at Ibrox by six goals.

 

That would be the respect he showed DJ on Radio Snyde recently. A man that possesses a Euro winners medal and a couple of dozen more caps than Chris.

 

Finally, the morally bankrupt Chris showed huge respect to then Sellik View cub reporter(now, Herald reporter), Alison McConnell.

[aweebluesoandso 290]

BT commentator Chris Sutton thinks he's the show, he's not, it's the football clubs playing that are the attraction. Sutton tried to get the Tims manager sacked, he was eventually sacked because he was pish, but that never silenced Sutton, now he's trying to undermine our manager.

 

When commentators try to become the show, viewers switch off, time to switch off Sutton.

[StuGers 477]

I've said it before - Sutton as a person is instantly unlikeable. The way he talks, the way he looks - unlikeable. It is an unfortunate trait. Now, he is bankrupt so is obviously in need of some cash. He can't bank on his football skills as they are gone. He can't bank on his football knowledge as his reputation as a manager is in tatters. What he can sell, is his personality. Which is as an unlikeable bad guy. All he is now doing is playing up to that in the hope that the more outrageous and abrasive he gets, the more he will be noticed and, in today'a media, being noticed as a great nice guy or an absolute dick - it doesn't matter.

The quicker people stop talking about him the better - I get the irony that this post is about him but Rangers are doing the right thing by quietly refusing to talk and refusing to highlight that it is because of him. He will fade into obscurity soon enough, just like his managerial career.

Edited October 17, 2016 by StuGers

[Scott7 6,009]

Ah, "probes" and "snubs". What a perfect tabloid day.