When I started following Celtic back in the late 1980’s. Club legend Billy McNeill was the Celtic manager and he delivered a Centenary double winning season for this young teenage Celtic fan who was drawn to Celtic by the Irish connection and an older brother’s influence.
Since then I have witnessed Celtic make many managerial appointments. Some good some not so good. Ange Postecoglou and Wim Jansen spring to mind as two surprise appointments which turned out to be really good ones. Wim stopped the 10 and won a double in his only season. Ange played an exciting brand of football and won 5 trophies in his 2 years at club both short but very successful and enjoyable periods in Celtic’s unbroken history.
Martin O’Neill’s time at Celtic first time around was one of my favourite times following Celtic. He delivered a treble in his first season, the first manager to do it since Jock Stein. He was also the first and only manager to take us to a European final since Jock Stein. That whole run to Seville travelling around Europe was such a buzz and in a few weeks ago were back in Stuttgart for the first time since 2003.
There were also manger appointments which just did not work. John Barnes and Tony Mowbray spring to mind but none of us imaged just how bad Wilfried Nancy’s short time would work out as Celtic manager. Martin O’Neill was always going to be a hard act to follow after the club legend replaced Brendan Rodgers and steadied the ship Nancy was unveiled not at Celtic Park but at Lennoxtown.
It was not an ideal time to take the reigns at Celtic and many people have since questioned the Celtic board’s timing of the appointment. The relationship between the Celtic Supporters and the Celtic Board will not have helped him either.
In his first 3 games in charge Nancy lost a top of the table clash with Hearts and Roma came to a soulless Celtic Park in the Europa League and left with all 3 points. Celtic Park was once a fortress on big European Nights but that night was one of the worst atmospheres I have ever witnessed in the East End of Glasgow.
Celtic lost a League Cup Final to St. Mirren. All this happened within one week for the new Celtic manager in his first week of games. Celtic conceded 8 goals and scored 2. Fingers were starting to point at not only him but those who had employed him.
The following Wednesday we made the journey to Tannadice to play Dundee United. At half time Celtic were winning 1-0 and in total control of the game. What ever was said in the Celtic dressing room at half time had the opposite effect than what was said in the home dressing room.
Celtic were battered in the second half and beaten 2-1, the Celtic board were battered with abuse on the night and some of Celtic’s travelling support let Nancy know where they wanted him to go as he cut a lonely figure walking up the tunnel on his own after the game. Before the game Peter Lawell stood down as Celtic chairman and was replaced by longtime non executive Celtic director Brian Wilson.
In the next two games during the festive period we got some Christmas Cheer. Nancy got his first win at Celtic Park with a 3-1 over Aberdeen and away from home Celtic beat Livingston 4-2 to take some of the pressure off the manager and the Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson who had boasted about how Nancy was the No. 1 candidate for the job and they had got their man in a rare interview with Celtic TV.
Motherwell have impressed everyone this season with their style of football under new manager, Jens Berthel Askou. After two Celtic wins the wheels came off the bus at Fir Park when Celtic were played off the park and lost 2-0 on the night. The pressure was back on the Frenchman.
Next up the rangers at Celtic Park and at half time you would be forgiven for thinking that the Nancy system may just work after dominating the visitors in the first half and going into the break 1-0 up after a Yang goal. Celtic collapsed again in the second half and lost 3-1.
The writing was on the wall for the manager and within days Nancy was gone after only 33 days in charge. His record read Played 8 Won 2 Lost 6 Drawn 0 Goals For 11 Goals Against 18. He was not the only casualty Celtic’s head of recruitment Paul Tisdale got the sack and left the club along with Nancy’s backroom team.
O’Neill once again answered the Celtic call and together with his backroom team they were back on the Lennoxtown training pitch and returned to the Celtic dugout at Celtic Park and took up where they left off with a 4-0 win over Dundee United. Performances have been mixed since then but results have been good both home and away in general with exception of two home defeats to Stuttgart and Hibs.
Celtic now enter into such an important faze of the season. After two weeks on the road including Stuttgart in Europe away it was a good result but not enough to keep our European dreams alive. The rangers in the League and in the Scottish Cup both at Ibrox and a rearranged fixture away to Aberdeen were tough assignments but those results may define our season and if we see Callum McGregor lift more silverware.
Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast
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