Chris Sutton
Encyclopedia
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton (born 10 March 1973) is an English
football manager
and former player.
In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City
, Blackburn Rovers
, Chelsea
, Celtic
, Birmingham City
and Aston Villa
. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English and Scottish Premier League
s. He was capped once by England
.
Sutton played principally in midfield or attack, although usually in the latter role as a striker. A very physical player, Sutton was a fairly prolific goalscorer throughout his career and was joint top goalscorer (with Dion Dublin
and Michael Owen
) in the FA Premier League 1997–98 season. He is also known as being one of the foremost exponents of the glancing header. He scored many a goal with this technique which made him particularly effective from set-pieces.
In September 2009, Sutton was appointed manager of Lincoln City
, but he resigned due to personal reasons in September 2010.
, the son of Mike Sutton
, formerly a footballer with Norwich City
. His younger brother John
also became a footballer, and played for a number of clubs in both England and Scotland. As of February 2007, Sutton was married with five children.
After retiring from football, Sutton remained an athlete, playing cricket for Norwich Cricket Club in the EAPL.
, initially as a centre-half before being converted into a striker by manager Dave Stringer
. He made his debut on 4 May 1991 in a 1–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers in the First Division
.
In Stringer's final season as manager, 1991–92, Norwich were FA Cup
semi-finalists and Sutton gradually broke into the first team. Sutton made 21 league appearances that season, scoring twice.
He quickly found success in his new position as Norwich spent most of the first season of the new FA Premier League
, 1992–93, as league leaders, before eventually slipping back to third place under new manager Mike Walker
. Sutton featured in 38 Premier League games that season, scoring eight goals – making him the club's second highest scorer behind Mark Robins
.
In the autumn of 1993, he was part of the Norwich side which famously eliminated Bayern Munich from the UEFA Cup
. He scored 25 Premier League goals that season, but after Walker defected to Everton
in January to be succeeded by assistant John Deehan
, Norwich slipped out of the top five and finished a disappointing 12th in the final table.
By now, Sutton was being linked with some of the biggest clubs in the country, including Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal
and Manchester United
,
for £5 million.
In his first season at Ewood Park he developed a strong partnership (known as 'SAS') with Alan Shearer
(who scored 34 times that season) and scored fifteen Premier League goals to help secure the club's first league title since 1914.
A succession of injuries, combined with a loss of form, saw him make just 13 Premier League appearances during 1995–96 and fail to score a single league goal. Shearer's regular strike partner that season was Mike Newell
, but at the end of the season both Shearer and Newell left the club, leaving Sutton and Kevin Gallacher
as Blackburn's only major strikers.
He regained his form over the next three seasons and was the joint highest goalscorer in the Premier League in 1997–98, scoring 18 times.
Sutton was involved in controversy in the final game of the 1996–97 season against Arsenal
. Late in the game with the "Gunners" leading by a single goal, the ball was kicked out of play by Arsenal to allow an injured team-mate to receive treatment. Under the unwritten sportsmanship rule, Arsenal would expect the ball to be returned to them unhindered. However, Sutton chased the ball instead of allowing it to be thrown back to Arsenal and won a corner from his efforts. Blackburn scored from this corner and as a result Arsenal missed out on a lucrative place in the Champions League
to Newcastle United
on goal difference
. Following the incident Blackburn's interim manager Tony Parkes
described Sutton as "a boy who is sometimes a bit dizzy ... a bit silly", stating "It was against the spirit of the game and he should not have done it". Sutton refused to apologise for his actions.
Although Sutton's 18 goals helped Blackburn finish sixth and qualify for the UEFA Cup
in 1998, he managed just 17 league games and 3 goals the following season as they were relegated
from the Premier League at the end of 1998–99, just four years after being crowned champions. His absences were the result of a series of injuries. Most notably, he was absent for the penultimate game of the season on 12 May 1999, which Blackburn had to win to keep their survival hopes alive. They could only manage a goalless draw at home to Manchester United, who went on to win the title four days later.
for £10 million after Blackburn's relegation. His time at Stamford Bridge
proved an unhappy one, as he struggled both to live up to the price tag and to adapt to Chelsea's style of play, scoring just one league goal against Manchester United in 29 appearances, and three goals in total, the other two coming against Skonto Riga in a Champions League qualifier and Hull City in the FA Cup. He failed to even make the bench for the club's FA Cup Final win against Aston Villa
and was sold to Scottish Premier League
side Celtic
for £6 million in the summer of 2000.
in 2000, and in his first Old Firm
match against Rangers
he scored the first and last goals in a dramatic 6–2 victory for Celtic.
Sutton's goals helped Celtic win three SPL titles, three Scottish Cup
s and one Scottish League Cup
, as well as reaching a UEFA Cup final. Sutton formed a prolific partnership with Swede Henrik Larsson
, one which eclipsed his earlier one with Shearer.
Sutton also holds the record for the quickest goal ever in an Old Firm Clash, scored at Ibrox
in 2002, scoring inside just 18 seconds. At the end of season 2002–03, Sutton accused Dunfermline of "lying down" to in order for Celtic to lose the title. Though he later apologised, he was charged with bringing the game into disrepute, and received a one-match ban to add to the four-match suspension he was serving for abusing match officials on the same day.
His best season at Celtic was arguably the 2003–04 season, when he scored 19 SPL goals. and was voted SPFA Player of the Year.
on a free transfer in January 2006 but injuries restricted him to just eleven appearances, scoring once in the derby
defeat to Aston Villa
in mid-April. One of a number of players on high wages subjected to criticism by club owner David Sullivan, Sutton was released at the end of the season following Birmingham's relegation to the Championship
.
in October 2006 until the end of the 2006–07 season, where he linked up with former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill
. Sutton scored his first goal for the club with the winner against Everton
in November 2006.
However, in a game against Manchester United
in December 2006, he suffered blurred vision, and having visited several specialists, did not recover. O'Neill said, "Chris has got a genuine concern. No-one can give him any guarantees about what might be the consequences if he got cracked on the head again. Whatever eyesight Chris has now, he would obviously want to keep, so he must bear that in mind when deciding his whole future and career." On 5 July 2007, Sutton retired from football due to the eye injury.
cap in November 1997, although he was left out of the World Cup
squad after a fall-out with national manager Glenn Hoddle
. Having been relegated to the England B team
Sutton refused to play, and Hoddle never selected Sutton for an England squad again.
for the post of manager, but was unsuccessful. On 28 September 2009, Sutton was appointed manager of League Two
side Lincoln City
, succeeding Peter Jackson who was dismissed earlier in the month. Despite having no managerial experience, Sutton was preferred to more than 70 other applicants. Caretaker manager
Simon Clark
would take charge of the following day's game, with Sutton and assistant Ian Pearce
to take over the day after.
His first game as manager came at Sincil Bank
against Aldershot Town
on 3 October 2009. Lincoln were victorious through a second half Sergio Torres
goal to give Sutton a winning start in management. Sutton took Lincoln to the FA Cup
third round for the first time since 1999, but lost 4–0 to Premier League outfit Bolton Wanderers.
Football League survival was confirmed on 24 April 2010 when Sutton guided the Imps to a 1–0 victory over promotion chasing Bury at Sincil Bank
, with two games remaining. Sutton left his post as Lincoln City manager on 29 September stating it was due to family reasons.
Mr Partridge claimed that Sutton became abusive: "This went on for no more than 30 seconds. Then he spat at my face".
On 11 July 2000, Sutton was found guilty of twice spitting in the face of the trainee barrister. He was fined on two charges of common assault and ordered to pay costs of £200 with £200 compensation to Richard Partridge.
|1990–91||rowspan="4"|Norwich City
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||21||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="2"|Premier League||38||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||41||25||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||40||15||2||2||4||3||2||1||48||21
|-
|1995–96||13||0||0||0||3||1||6||0||22||1
|-
|1996–97||25||11||2||0||2||1||0||0||29||12
|-
|1997–98||35||18||4||2||2||1||0||0||41||21
|-
|1998–99||17||3||1||0||1||1||1||0||20||4
|-
|1999–00||Chelsea
||Premier League||28||1||4||1||0||0||7||1||39||3
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="6"|Celtic
||rowspan="6"|Premier League
||24||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||18||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||28||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||25||19||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||27||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||8||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||Birmingham City
||Premier League||10||1||1||0||0||0||0||0||11||1
|-
|2006–07||Aston Villa
||Premier League||8||1||0||0||1||0||0||0||9||1
280||85||23||10||21||10||23||2||347||107
130||63||16||5||9||2||44||16||199||86
410||148||40||15||31||12||67||18||548||193
7 August 2010
Chelsea
Celtic
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player.
In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English and Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
s. He was capped once by England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Sutton played principally in midfield or attack, although usually in the latter role as a striker. A very physical player, Sutton was a fairly prolific goalscorer throughout his career and was joint top goalscorer (with Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
and Michael Owen
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
) in the FA Premier League 1997–98 season. He is also known as being one of the foremost exponents of the glancing header. He scored many a goal with this technique which made him particularly effective from set-pieces.
In September 2009, Sutton was appointed manager of Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, but he resigned due to personal reasons in September 2010.
Personal life
Sutton was born in NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, the son of Mike Sutton
Mike Sutton (footballer)
Mike Sutton is a former English professional footballer. He played in The Football League for three clubs. Two of his sons, Chris and John, have also played professionally.-Playing career:...
, formerly a footballer with Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. His younger brother John
John Sutton (footballer)
John William Michael Sutton is an English footballer, currently playing for Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premier League...
also became a footballer, and played for a number of clubs in both England and Scotland. As of February 2007, Sutton was married with five children.
After retiring from football, Sutton remained an athlete, playing cricket for Norwich Cricket Club in the EAPL.
Norwich City (1991–1994)
He started his career at Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, initially as a centre-half before being converted into a striker by manager Dave Stringer
Dave Stringer
Dave Stringer , is a former player and manager of Norwich City football club.As a player, he won the fans' vote to be Norwich City player of the year in 1972 and made a total of 499 appearances for the club. He ended his playing career with Cambridge United before returning to Norwich city to coach...
. He made his debut on 4 May 1991 in a 1–0 home win over Queens Park Rangers in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
.
In Stringer's final season as manager, 1991–92, Norwich were FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finalists and Sutton gradually broke into the first team. Sutton made 21 league appearances that season, scoring twice.
He quickly found success in his new position as Norwich spent most of the first season of the new FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, 1992–93, as league leaders, before eventually slipping back to third place under new manager Mike Walker
Mike Walker
Mike Walker is the name of:*Mike Walker , gossip columnist for the National Enquirer*Mike Walker , jazz guitar player from Salford in England*Mike Walker , American football player...
. Sutton featured in 38 Premier League games that season, scoring eight goals – making him the club's second highest scorer behind Mark Robins
Mark Robins
Mark Gordon Robins is an English football manager, appointed manager of Barnsley in 2009.As a player, he was most notable for his exploits with Manchester United, Norwich City and Leicester City...
.
In the autumn of 1993, he was part of the Norwich side which famously eliminated Bayern Munich from the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. He scored 25 Premier League goals that season, but after Walker defected to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in January to be succeeded by assistant John Deehan
John Deehan
John Matthew Deehan is an English former footballer who in recent years has had several spells in coaching and management. He is currently unemployed having previously held the position of Director of football at Grimsby Town....
, Norwich slipped out of the top five and finished a disappointing 12th in the final table.
By now, Sutton was being linked with some of the biggest clubs in the country, including Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
,
Blackburn Rovers (1994–1999)
Sutton became the most expensive player in English football in July 1994, when he was transferred from Norwich City to Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for £5 million.
In his first season at Ewood Park he developed a strong partnership (known as 'SAS') with Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
(who scored 34 times that season) and scored fifteen Premier League goals to help secure the club's first league title since 1914.
A succession of injuries, combined with a loss of form, saw him make just 13 Premier League appearances during 1995–96 and fail to score a single league goal. Shearer's regular strike partner that season was Mike Newell
Mike Newell (footballer)
Michael Colin "Mike" Newell is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player he notably was a member of the Blackburn Rovers team which won the Premier League in 1995, as well also playing for Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Leicester City, Everton,...
, but at the end of the season both Shearer and Newell left the club, leaving Sutton and Kevin Gallacher
Kevin Gallacher
Kevin William Gallacher is a Scottish former professional footballer and now a sports pundit.He is the grandson of the late Celtic forward Patsy Gallacher, who died before he was born.-Career:...
as Blackburn's only major strikers.
He regained his form over the next three seasons and was the joint highest goalscorer in the Premier League in 1997–98, scoring 18 times.
Sutton was involved in controversy in the final game of the 1996–97 season against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Late in the game with the "Gunners" leading by a single goal, the ball was kicked out of play by Arsenal to allow an injured team-mate to receive treatment. Under the unwritten sportsmanship rule, Arsenal would expect the ball to be returned to them unhindered. However, Sutton chased the ball instead of allowing it to be thrown back to Arsenal and won a corner from his efforts. Blackburn scored from this corner and as a result Arsenal missed out on a lucrative place in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
. Following the incident Blackburn's interim manager Tony Parkes
Tony Parkes
Anthony "Tony" Parkes is an English former professional footballer. After retiring, he became a coach. He was most recently caretaker manager at Blackpool. It was the seventh such role of his coaching career, having performed the role on six occasions for...
described Sutton as "a boy who is sometimes a bit dizzy ... a bit silly", stating "It was against the spirit of the game and he should not have done it". Sutton refused to apologise for his actions.
Although Sutton's 18 goals helped Blackburn finish sixth and qualify for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
in 1998, he managed just 17 league games and 3 goals the following season as they were relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the Premier League at the end of 1998–99, just four years after being crowned champions. His absences were the result of a series of injuries. Most notably, he was absent for the penultimate game of the season on 12 May 1999, which Blackburn had to win to keep their survival hopes alive. They could only manage a goalless draw at home to Manchester United, who went on to win the title four days later.
Chelsea (1999–2000)
Sutton was sold to ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
for £10 million after Blackburn's relegation. His time at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
proved an unhappy one, as he struggled both to live up to the price tag and to adapt to Chelsea's style of play, scoring just one league goal against Manchester United in 29 appearances, and three goals in total, the other two coming against Skonto Riga in a Champions League qualifier and Hull City in the FA Cup. He failed to even make the bench for the club's FA Cup Final win against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and was sold to Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
for £6 million in the summer of 2000.
Celtic (2000–2006)
Sutton scored the winner on his debut against Dundee UnitedDundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
in 2000, and in his first Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
match against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
he scored the first and last goals in a dramatic 6–2 victory for Celtic.
Sutton's goals helped Celtic win three SPL titles, three Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
s and one Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
, as well as reaching a UEFA Cup final. Sutton formed a prolific partnership with Swede Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Edward Larsson MBE is a retired Swedish footballer and current manager of Landskrona BoIS.Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they qualified to Allsvenskan 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before...
, one which eclipsed his earlier one with Shearer.
Sutton also holds the record for the quickest goal ever in an Old Firm Clash, scored at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
in 2002, scoring inside just 18 seconds. At the end of season 2002–03, Sutton accused Dunfermline of "lying down" to in order for Celtic to lose the title. Though he later apologised, he was charged with bringing the game into disrepute, and received a one-match ban to add to the four-match suspension he was serving for abusing match officials on the same day.
His best season at Celtic was arguably the 2003–04 season, when he scored 19 SPL goals. and was voted SPFA Player of the Year.
Birmingham City (2006)
He joined Premier League club Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on a free transfer in January 2006 but injuries restricted him to just eleven appearances, scoring once in the derby
Birmingham derby
In English football, the Second City derby is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Birmingham, England – Aston Villa and Birmingham City....
defeat to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in mid-April. One of a number of players on high wages subjected to criticism by club owner David Sullivan, Sutton was released at the end of the season following Birmingham's relegation to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
.
Aston Villa (2006–2007)
Sutton signed for Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in October 2006 until the end of the 2006–07 season, where he linked up with former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
. Sutton scored his first goal for the club with the winner against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in November 2006.
However, in a game against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in December 2006, he suffered blurred vision, and having visited several specialists, did not recover. O'Neill said, "Chris has got a genuine concern. No-one can give him any guarantees about what might be the consequences if he got cracked on the head again. Whatever eyesight Chris has now, he would obviously want to keep, so he must bear that in mind when deciding his whole future and career." On 5 July 2007, Sutton retired from football due to the eye injury.
International career
Sutton's form for Blackburn won him an EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
cap in November 1997, although he was left out of the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
squad after a fall-out with national manager Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
. Having been relegated to the England B team
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
Sutton refused to play, and Hoddle never selected Sutton for an England squad again.
Lincoln City
Sutton was interviewed in January 2009 by Inverness Caledonian ThistleInverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
for the post of manager, but was unsuccessful. On 28 September 2009, Sutton was appointed manager of League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, succeeding Peter Jackson who was dismissed earlier in the month. Despite having no managerial experience, Sutton was preferred to more than 70 other applicants. Caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
Simon Clark
Simon Clark (footballer)
Simon Clark is an English former professional footballer and manager who is currently in charge of Northern Premier League Division One South side Stamford. As a player he turned out for Lincoln City, Boston Town, Holbeach United, King's Lynn, Hendon, Stevenage Borough, Peterborough United, Leyton...
would take charge of the following day's game, with Sutton and assistant Ian Pearce
Ian Pearce
Ian Anthony Pearce is an English footballer who plays as a defender, spending the majority of his career in the Premier League. He is currently playing for Kingstonian in the Isthmian Premier League....
to take over the day after.
His first game as manager came at Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank is a football stadium in Lincoln, England and has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The...
against Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town F.C.
Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...
on 3 October 2009. Lincoln were victorious through a second half Sergio Torres
Sergio Torres
Sergio Raul Torres is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Crawley Town. He was signed from Peterborough United in July 2010. He holds an Italian passport, since his grandmother was Italian...
goal to give Sutton a winning start in management. Sutton took Lincoln to the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third round for the first time since 1999, but lost 4–0 to Premier League outfit Bolton Wanderers.
Football League survival was confirmed on 24 April 2010 when Sutton guided the Imps to a 1–0 victory over promotion chasing Bury at Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank is a football stadium in Lincoln, England and has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The...
, with two games remaining. Sutton left his post as Lincoln City manager on 29 September stating it was due to family reasons.
Controversy
Sutton and nine friends went to a Soho restaurant to celebrate his wife's birthday in October 1999. It was alleged that someone called out to the football party that one was a "third-string player".Mr Partridge claimed that Sutton became abusive: "This went on for no more than 30 seconds. Then he spat at my face".
On 11 July 2000, Sutton was found guilty of twice spitting in the face of the trainee barrister. He was fined on two charges of common assault and ordered to pay costs of £200 with £200 compensation to Richard Partridge.
Career statistics
|-|1990–91||rowspan="4"|Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||2||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||21||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="2"|Premier League||38||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||41||25||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||40||15||2||2||4||3||2||1||48||21
|-
|1995–96||13||0||0||0||3||1||6||0||22||1
|-
|1996–97||25||11||2||0||2||1||0||0||29||12
|-
|1997–98||35||18||4||2||2||1||0||0||41||21
|-
|1998–99||17||3||1||0||1||1||1||0||20||4
|-
|1999–00||Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
||Premier League||28||1||4||1||0||0||7||1||39||3
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="6"|Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
||rowspan="6"|Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||24||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||18||4||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||28||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||25||19||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||27||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||8||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||Premier League||10||1||1||0||0||0||0||0||11||1
|-
|2006–07||Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||Premier League||8||1||0||0||1||0||0||0||9||1
280||85||23||10||21||10||23||2||347||107
130||63||16||5||9||2||44||16||199||86
410||148||40||15||31||12||67||18||548||193
Managerial
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
 Kingdom of England |
28 September 2009 | 28 September 2010 |
|||||||
| Total |
||||||||||
7 August 2010
Club
Blackburn Rovers- Premier League
- winner: 1994–95
- FA Charity Shield runner-up: 19951995 FA Charity ShieldThe 1995 FA Charity Shield was the 73rd FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions. The match was played on 13 August 1995 at Wembley Stadium and contested by Blackburn Rovers, who had won the Premier League...
Chelsea
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- winner: 2000
Celtic
- Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
- winner: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04
- runner-up: 2002–03, 2004–05
- Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
- winner: 2001, 2004, 2005
- runner-up: 2002
- Scottish League CupScottish League CupThe Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
- winner: 2001
- runner-up: 2003
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
runners-up: 2002–03
External links
- Profile at premierleague.com
- Photos and stats at sporting-heroes.net
- Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk
- Sutton's playing career in pictures at BBC SportBBC SportBBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...