Celtic are 18 points behind their rivals in the title race
Chris Sutton says it is time for Neil Lennon to leave his former club.
The Englishman achieved great success during his time playing alongside Lennon at Celtic, but reluctantly admits his old colleague has to go.
Sutton has already criticised the manager this season, and is now emphatic in his belief that a change needs to be made.
Their current run of four successive victories appears to have come too late, with Rangers holding an 18-point lead in the Premiership with only nine games left to play.
Missing out on 10-in-a-row would be the lowest point in a season that has already seen the champions exit three cup competitions.
With a rebuilding job due ahead of next season, Sutton believes the club have to act now.
Speaking on the Record Celtic podcast, Sutton said: “For me, Neil can’t be in charge. I don’t care whether he wins every game until the end of the season. This season has been a disaster. And I don’t like saying that as a former teammate.
“When you look back to last season, it’s the same core of players, so the simple question is: Why has the level dropped off so much?
“It’s the manager who carries the can and this has gone on for too long.
“It’s going to get more and more awkward if Neil carries on. He’s had four wins. Then it becomes eight wins and 10 wins and they think: Well maybe we’ve turned the corner.
“That isn’t the case for me. You look at the season as a whole. Celtic were embarrassed in European competitions.
“Celtic have regressed under Neil this season and that’s why there needs to be a new guy and then the overhaul can begin.
“How can the overhaul begin when no-one knows what is going to happen next season?
“Just think about the impact it will have on the support going into next season if they do. How demoralised everyone is going to be.
“It’ll be as flat as a pancake at the start of the season. Imagine the pressure on the Champions League qualifiers, or end up drawing the first league match of the season.
“Just imagine the atmosphere if the fans are back in the stadium at that point. It’s gone too far and too long. This just cannot carry on and I don’t know how long this is going to take.
“What has to happen? How bad does it actually have to get?
“It must be one of the worst if not the worst title defence on record. It was over in December.
“You can’t get away from that fact and Neil’s at the helm, so how can he survive this or expect to go into next season and the supporters to have faith in him?”
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