'Keep your mouth shut' - Sam Allardyce launches extraordinary attack on Celtic star after criticism of manager

Former England manager Sam Allardyce has launched an astonishing attack on defender Cameron Carter-Vickers after questioning Celtic’s lack of a clear tactical identity.

Allardyce warned the experienced Hoops centre-back to “keep his f****** mouth shut” after suggesting Martin O’Neill’s side had been playing without a coherent plan during a difficult run of results.

Former Aston Villa defender James Collins was similarly critical, suggesting Carter-Vickers’ comments risked sounding like an attempt to shift responsibility for his own performances.

The controversy follows a bruising week for the Scottish champions, who suffered three consecutive defeats, including back-to-back Old Firm losses against Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup and Scottish Premiership.

Speaking post-match following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Parkhead, Carter-Vickers indicated that Celtic needed greater consistency in their approach. He said: “We played a bit too random. We need to get better at that, getting a script and sticking to it.”

Those comments have prompted a furious response from Allardyce, who issued a strong defence of veteran Celtic manager O’Neill amid growing scrutiny over his position.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Allardyce queried why O’Neill should find himself under pressure with Celtic still sitting top of the league table and having secured a domestic double at the end of last season.

When the USA international’s remarks were put to him, Allardyce questioned: “Was he there last year with Martin?”

After being reminded that Carter-Vickers was part of the squad, albeit missing a large chunk of the campaign through injury, Allardyce delivered his strongest criticism.

“Tell him to keep his f****** mouth shut,” he snapped back. “That’s what happened last year.”

Allardyce then drew a comparison between O’Neill and the legendary Brian Clough, under whom he played during his time at Nottingham Forest.

He stated: “Martin is just like Brian Clough — or if you listen to Graeme Souness, this is what I’m talking about, this over-coaching crap — when you can’t think for yourself.

Allardyce argued that elite players should be capable of adapting on the pitch rather than relying entirely on detailed instructions from their manager. He illustrated his point by recalling a story from Souness’ early days at Liverpool, when the midfielder asked Joe Fagan and Bob Paisley what they wanted him to do.

He continued: “You must have heard Graeme Souness’ story when he first went to Liverpool and went to Joe Fagan and Bob Paisley and asked, ‘What do you want me to do?’ They go, ‘What do you mean? We paid X amount of money for you and you don’t know what to do? We must have wasted our money on you.'”

Collins, meanwhile, took a similarly sceptical view of Carter-Vickers’ comments.

“That seems like a player that’s not playing very well and is blaming the manager all of a sudden,” he added.

Carter-Vickers’ original comments came after another disappointing display from Celtic, who had already suffered a 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox in the League Cup before losing to Ferencvaros in Europe.

The defender subsequently stressed that Celtic need greater consistency of messaging, ideas and effort, while insisting the players remain behind O’Neill. But the ongoing debate nevertheless highlights the uncertainty surrounding Celtic following their poor sequence of results.

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