AWOL Celtic Execs abandon Wilfried Nancy

Wilfried Nancy’s media conference was the second most underwhelming item of Celtic content published today.

No-one was going to outdo Michael ‘regular guy’ Nicholson and his four minute interview with Gerry McCulloch.

After more than four years as CEO Nicholson finally found the courage to speak to Celtic’s in-house channel.

EXETER CONNECTIONS

The four minutes dragged in. Apparently Celtic have been watching Nancy for along time. Since the idea was put Nicholson’s way by Paul Tisdale the new driving force at Celtic.

Through the Kwame Ampadu connection Nancy and Celtic have been matched up. By a guy who managed Exeter City for 602 matches without any other English club going near him.

And with that background Nancy has been introduced to the Celtic support.

Shamefully no-one from the board could be bothered showing up at the media conference to introduce the new manager.

Nicholson spent Thursday at Lennoxtown creeping around in the background as video clips were shared. He looked as uncomfortable as he was two weeks ago sitting at the top table for the Celtic AGM.

Peter Lawwell wasn’t slow to pull the plug on the 2025 AGM. He followed that up by missing the matches at St Mirren, Feyenoord and Hibs. He did show up for the win over Dundee but was too busy today to welcome the latest Celtic manager.

Celtic edited the original 18 minutes down to 13, the sound quality on the live stream was very poor.

The assembled might of the broadcast media in Scotland then got to ask Nancy questions, it was shallow. Nancy will be hoping that the opposition his side faces on the pitch is of a similar standard.

Adam Binnie was on Sky Sports duty, the ‘rising star’ got to to ask the first question.

Will, welcome to Glasgow, can you tell us how happy you are to be finally sat here as Celtic manager and and why you think this club was was the right move for you?

MAINSTREAM SPACE FILLERS

And with that level of questioning we were underway.

It never really improved. Nothing of substance was asked, the questions were weaker than McCulloch’s to the new manager on Thursday night.

Not a mention about backroom staff. Who was coming in, who was moving out.

Other equally banal questions followed. Such as ‘a big week ahead’, ‘first impressions of the squad’ and ‘what did you learn about Celtic’. WOW.

There were two soft attempts at plans for January.

Just like Brendan Rodgers the new manager can try to make something out of the stars identified by the Tisdale analytics.

CHRONIC RECRUITMENT ISSUES

No one is going to turn Shin Yamada or Hayato Inamura into Celtic first team players. Manchester City probably have another loan deal already lined up for Jahmai Simpson-Pusey.

Nancy has a very tough job ahead of him. Working on a squad shaped by Mark Lawwell and the self styled Football Doctor.

Today he learned that he was on his own in terms of support from within the club.

Hopefully Callum McGregor and a few others can dig deep to deliver results over the coming weeks.

The events around the departure of Brendan Rodgers and appointment of Nancy show exactly how poorly Celtic are run.

World class in everything we do? Really Michael.

AWOL EXECS

The one thing to take from events this season is that the efforts of Nicholson, Lawwell and the Desmond family have created the Celtic Fans Collective. Every move by the club has been an own goal of varying degrees

Not Another Penny is hurting a crucial area of club finances. January is going to be a bleak one around Celtic Park.

If Nancy can deliver success against such executive apathy he will be due the thanks of every fan.

On Sunday he will learn more about the club than anything Tisdale ever disclosed. The fans. They are there and they always will be. But don’t treat them with the same level of contempt that is part of the Boardroom DNA.

NOTE: Jamieson arranged a separate conference for his friends in legacy newspapers. Some meaningful questions should be answered after 10.30pm tonight.