Time up- no way back for Nancy after triple whammy

Wilfried Nancy achieved the near impossible on Tuesday.

He managed to increase the levels of despair and frustration felt by Celtic fans from Sunday’s League Cup Final defeat from St Mirren.

The new manager really appears to be on a mission of self destruction. There doesn’t seem to be any other explanation.

Sunday at Hampden was a complete nightmare. The Banter Years that have been over Ibrox for a decade appear to have shifted over Celtic.

A bizarre formation, players being used out of position matched up with incredible substitutions brought the inevitable conclusion. And then the post match excuses and deflection exercises.

At Hampden the mood changed, the balance of blame switched.

SACK THE BOARD- AND NANCY

The Celtic board remains detested, there is no way back. But the manager is getting it now from angry fans.

Michael Nicholson and Peter Lawwell have multiple faults and failings on their watch.

But they never instructed Liam Scales to play as an overlapping left wing-back. To deploy Daizen Maeda as a Number 10, infield, negating his pace. To select Sebastian Tounekti, used almost exclusively on the left wing at right wing-back.

All of that is on Nancy. With a group of players that had beaten Feyenoord away the previous month. Under a manager that knows that his job is to manage. Not to create rounded human beings, not to develop a project, not to find solutions.

Nancy has created this crisis for himself. He was brought to Celtic by Paul Tisdale. Appointed Head of Football Operations by Michael Nicholson. Peter Lawwell brought Nicholson to Celtic.

It seems that Lawwell and Nicholson are fully on board with Nancy. If they weren’t they resign, they won’t. Too much to protect.

MEDIA NIGHTMARE- THEN TWITTER

Nancy was deep in denial during his broadcast media conference.

All was good, every day he sees improvement on the training ground, he has nothing to prove. Etc etc. He went into a bizarre, illustrated tactics talk. It was painful to watch.

His English is 95% but that missing 5% is vital. You need that to convince sceptical footballers in a dressing room, on the pitch.

Soon afterwards Nancy was sitting down with Celtic’s favourite newspaper reporters.

More self pity was served up. He spoke of his youth, moving home every two years, of friends that have gone on to become Presidents and prisoners.

Pedro Caixinha gave us barking dogs and caravans.

Celtic fans couldn’t care less about Nancy’s teenage years. We don’t want his background, fascinating as it no doubt is.

The reporters must have struggled to retain their laughter. All that was missing was a plan to go swimming in Loch Lomond on December 25 to improve team bonding.

As if that wasn’t enough Nancy then turned to social media. He decided to update his Twitter profile. To show how defiant he is.

pic.twitter.com/YcNy3JMbX6

— Paul Kelly (@Kelso1967) December 16, 2025

There is always a Tweet. Nancy is defiant to common sense and realism.

He has passed the point of no return.

Results, performances and comments are off the scale. Tonight at Tannadice has an ominous look to it. There is no sign or suggestion that Nancy is about to change his ways. In the modern age it seems that doubling down is the way of things.

If the trajectory continues Nicholson and his colleagues will be in for a very uncomfortable time of it tonight.

And fully deserved after he decided to undermine Brendan Rodgers with a plan of managed decline. Unfortunately Nicholson has failed to apply the managed part as Celtic go into free fall.