FORMER Celtic star Chris Sutton has laughed off suggestions of any sort of conspiracy after this year's fixture list was released earlier this week.

Some Rangers fans have aired their concerns after being handed a tricky opening-day fixture away to Aberdeen, while the Hoops' campaign gets under way at home to Hamilton.

The first Old Firm clash will go ahead in October - a full month later than it usually does - with some Gers supporters arguing that this has been done so that some fans will be allowed into Celtic Park for the derby.

But speaking on the Daily Record's podcast, Sutton has shot down any notion that there is a conspiracy.

He said: "Who really cares how the fixtures fall?

"I think there's been far too much made of this.

"I can honestly say, as player I never really looked at the fixtures.

"In the league programme you have to play everybody the same amount of every times - although you have the split as well.

"So people who are coming up with conspiracy theories about a computer and how it falls - who cares? Who actually, really, really cares about that?

"That's the long and the short of it, I really don't get what the big furore is about this.

"Celtic have to play Rangers sometime, if it's in October or if it's in August.

"It is what it is. I don't think fixtures should be put in to suit Celtic and Rangers, and the calendar actually moved because of Celtic or for Rangers.

"That wouldn't be right and fair across the board. The fixtures fall as they fall."

Ally McCoist was among those who questioned the randomness of the fixture computer in a veiled dig - something Sutton says is 'laughable'.

Sutton added: "There have been some quite high profile people up there who have been commenting on this.

"It's actually laughable, people who have played the game talking about conspiracies over the way the fixtures fall when you have to play everybody anyway. You couldn't actually make that up.

"That tells you the feeling up there and we know what's at stake but it's about 38 games. It's about endurance, consistency and seeing it through and Rangers haven't done that the last couple of seasons after Christmas.

"That's their big issue, not playing Aberdeen and blaming Neil Doncaster for the way the fixtures fall."