At this point, it’s not just Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic team that is difficult to watch; it’s Nancy himself as well.
He offers countless explanations and justifications, twisting his words in a painful attempt to make sense of yet another defeat. This has quickly become quite distressing.
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“I believe I’m heading in the right direction with the players,” he stated after his fourth consecutive loss in his new role, a 2-1 defeat against struggling Dundee United.
“Today’s performance was solid,” he asserted. “We are making progress,” he emphasized. “We came close to winning… keep believing.”
Around him, however, there are football skeptics. It’s hard to imagine many true believers remaining. As Nancy spoke, one couldn’t help but wince repeatedly.
As he navigated his post-match remarks, the urge was to shout, ‘Stop… enough talking… please stop explaining because every explanation is just another loss.’
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The harsh reality is that, between his disastrous start at Celtic and a lackluster tenure at Columbus Crew, Nancy has won only three of his last 16 matches as a manager.
The defeats by United, St Mirren, Roma, and Hearts now join the previous losses he suffered in America against teams like Cincinnati (twice), Chicago Fire, New York City, and New England Revolution.
During his time in MLS, Nancy finished seventh in the regular season, winning 14 out of 34 games, ranking joint sixth in goals scored and eighth in goals conceded. Following a season where he was named manager of the year, this year’s performance has been unimpressive.
Despite the enthusiastic endorsements from some American commentators who portrayed him as a significant addition, Nancy’s qualifications for the Celtic position were, at best, tenuous.
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Is Nancy Already Doomed? Who’s Responsible?
Several questions linger. Is Nancy already doomed? If not, how much longer does he have? Celtic will host Aberdeen on Sunday. Can he remain in charge if he faces yet another loss? How many defeats are too many? Five? Six? Seven?
Furthermore, considering his mediocre season with Columbus Crew, how did Nancy even get this job at Celtic? This is perhaps the most pressing question. After spending four years managing in Montreal and Columbus, he landed the Celtic role?
“We have been aware of Wilfried and his quality of work for some time,” said Michael Nicholson, Celtic’s chief executive. “He was our top candidate from the start of the manager search…”
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What exactly was that search process? Who else did Celtic consider? How thorough was their investigation? The story is unclear. Top candidate?
What we do know is that Nancy had Kwame Ampadu as his assistant in Columbus, who previously collaborated with Celtic’s director of football operations, Paul Tisdale, more than a decade ago at Exeter City.
With a resume that includes time at Bath, Exeter, MK Dons, Bristol Rovers, Colchester United, and Stevenage, Tisdale has become a significant influence at Celtic.
How did he gain such influence? That remains uncertain, as he typically avoids media inquiries, leaving us with no chance to question him.
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If Tisdale recommended Nancy to the Celtic board, what grounds did he base that judgment on?
How thoroughly were Nancy’s qualifications examined? Given the current record—four games played, four losses, three goals scored, and ten conceded—it certainly doesn’t seem like enough scrutiny was applied.
The journey from his previous role to this one was always going to be significant, but no one anticipated the fall could be this dramatic.
It’s understandable that some fans have turned against him; he appears to be a good person caught in the wrong situation, making this descent even more painful to witness. But what about those who appointed him?
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What about Tisdale? He bears as much responsibility for the current predicament at Celtic as Nancy does—if not more.
Tisdale plays a pivotal role in Celtic’s recruitment, yet he largely escapes the ire of fans, who instead focus on principal shareholder Dermot Desmond and other board members.
One board member, Peter Lawwell, a long-standing figure at the club, is set to depart at the end of the year, citing threats and abuse directed at his family from a troubling sector of the support.
Lawwell is seasoned enough to take criticism in stride, having dealt with it for years, but when his family becomes involved, that changes everything.
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Celtic currently finds itself in a dark place. Instead of being mired in threats from zealous supporters and incendiary remarks from the Desmond family, the club urgently needs healing and dignity—on and off the pitch. Wednesday was a dismal day for the club.
[BBC]
‘It’s Incredible Not to Consult O’Neill’
Nancy must be questioning what he has entered into, and it’s not difficult to feel some empathy for him. He sought context in the wake of the Tannadice match, and while there may be a smidgen of validity, it is limited.
It wasn’t Nancy’s fault that Johnny Kenny missed a straightforward opportunity or that Daizen Maeda squandered a clear chance.
The responsibility for having an inexperienced Kenny leading the attack does not lie with Nancy; it falls on those who orchestrated the club’s chaotic transfer window this summer.
The new manager is currently missing key players like Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Jota, but there’s no proof he would maximize their potential even if they were available.
He hasn’t managed to get the best out of the players available to him in his four matches so far. In a haze of tactical confusion, many seem to have regressed instead.
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Once again, Celtic faltered in the second half at Tannadice when it turned into a battle. Once again, an opponent identified vulnerabilities and capitalized. Once again, Nancy was outmaneuvered tactically.
Nancy speaks about performance as if he has time on his side, yet he doesn’t. The undeniable truth of his role is that winning is paramount, regardless of how it occurs.
Had Nancy invested more than 15 minutes learning from Martin O’Neill, a figure who knows Celtic’s history and current dynamics inside and out, he might have gained valuable insights.
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As for how much longer he can hold on, it’s hard to predict. Logically, he appears to be on borrowed time, but logic seems to be in short supply at the club right now.
Strange occurrences are unfolding both on the pitch and off. With Aberdeen on the horizon, eager for points and ready to exploit weaknesses, the fear factor surrounding Celtic has vanished.
For the opposition, against the reigning champions, the opportunity is ripe for the taking.