Michael Stewart has delivered a summary of Wilfried Nancy that very few Celtic fans will disagree with.
Except, possibly the Celtic directors who appointed the Frenchman as he wrecks the season.
Results under Nancy are almost a direct contrast to the handover from Martin O’Neill.
Before Saturday’s Glasgow Derby Stewart was in fine form on Radio Scotland. He accurately assessed the shambles that Nancy had created compounded by his media performance on Friday which turned into a self pitying rant.
All that Nancy talked about was the brilliance of the system he had brought to Celtic.
Like some missionary brought in to show the light in a football backwater.
STEWART CALLES IT OUT
Stewart recognised the issues. Eight matches in he called out the hollow feeling at Celtic. The rudderless ship.
Most of the squad that he inherited had won four of the last six domestic trophies, many had won seven of the last nine.
Last season they picked up 12 Champions League points. Finishing above Manchester City and Club Brugge.
In February they were drawing 2-2 against Bayern Munich after 178 minutes of football.
Nancy has trashed everything that those players had gathered. They had been picked up by Martin O’Neill after a difficult start to the season caused by a boardroom agenda.
In mid-season they had Nancy imposed on the training ground.
THE NANCY RED FLAGS
The coach of the seventh best team in the MLS Eastern Conference.
Someone who doesn’t have 100% English- an essential for the dressing room environment.
A coach who has been in North America since 2005, increasingly detached from European football.
Someone who made less than 30 appearances over eight years in the lower divisions of French football.
Stewart sees the madness of it all, unlike the accountants, politicians and lawyers on the Celtic board. Pat Bonner added to the discussion, House Paddy Tom English only confirmed the broken clock theory.
Just after 7 minutes Stewart got into his stride about the catalogue of failings from Nancy.
The arrogance that’s been shown since he walked in is staggering for me. And I don’t mean in terms of, you know, behaviour.
I’m talking about his actions of implementing that system. Implementing that system and when he uses it’s not even a conventional back three. It’s not. It’s not.
Then introducing as some sort of defence to the case that well I’ve not had a lot of time to work on it. I’ve not had pre-season. Well, you’re making the case against you implementing that. It’s it’s madness.
And the subs that come on and we’re sitting here thinking it’s like what’s the thought process in the subs? The first one of Araujo coming on and you’re going ‘it seems like it’s almost just because oh it’s my new guy, he’s my new guy, I need to put him on’.
But I’m going to put him on at right wing back and Yang’s actually been quite good. I can’t take him off but I tell you what, I’ll put him over at left wing back and then by default, whom am I taking off?
Ah right. Well, I’ll take McCowan off. You know, there just seems it’s so haram-scarem. No strategy.
CELTIC DEEP IN DENIAL
From the lack of boardroom reaction to yesterday’s result and performance it appears that Celtic are in complete denial.
Sacking Nancy is about more than a football manager losing his job. This runs deep, this runs back to season 2018/19. To the decision not to sign John McGinn, to impose Youssouf Mulumbu on Brendan Rodgers.
Certainly at that moment, possibly before the relationship between Rodgers and Peter Lawwell ended.
Rodgers left in February 2019 and returned in June 2023. Only the gullible believed that old wounds had healed. They were reopened. Inly Dermot Desmond wanted Rodgers back, the rest of the Celtic board were Lawwell’s nodding dogs.
Last season’s success in Europe showed what Celtic are capable of.
UN-MANAGED DECLINE
The January sale of Kyogo Furuhashi was Nicholson’s first step on managed decline. Soon it became un-managed.
Rodgers rejected signing Shin Yamada in January. In July that signing was imposed on him by Dr Football, Paul Tisdale.
The former Exeter City boss had rapidly climbed the ladder inside Celtic. He was the dominant voice.
On October 27 Rodgers resigned. Nancy had already been lined up as his replacement. Why? Because his assistant Kwame Ampadu was Tisdale’s youth coach at Exeter 15 years ago.
Which leads to yesterday and today.
Most in the media won’t call it out for fear of losing their place in the Celtic new cycle. Access to the insiders and spokesmen.
Stewart is independent. He calls things as he sees them which is why he has been side-lined while a plank like Steven Thompson is on the up and up.
It is good to see someone inside the media bubble call out folk like Nancy.
Once the Frenchman is sacked the work begins to remove everyone involved in that recruitment. And the deliberate decline of Celtic during 2025.
‘Celtic, self-inflicted, are in an absolute state!’
Michael Stewart reacts after Rangers’ 3-1 win against Celtic ⤵️#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/KqZDtGcACT
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) January 3, 2026
4 Comments
by Dixie Deans
He’s got it absolutely spot on never a truer word has been spoken let’s start with the clown of a manager way out of depth then every last one of these charletons including absent so called landlord sack them all 😡😡😡
by Patrick
This manager , and board are grinding the club into the ground.
by Patrick Toal
This man who is the worst manager ever in the eyes of the supporters Should be booted out of the club ASAP.
I am 67 and have never witnessed such rubbish in my life.1st thing to be done is to get rid of at least 7or 8 players who are nowhere near Celtic class.These include Ralston Scales McGowan Trusty and now even Schmeichel who is done.
A good full defence 2wingers and a big goal scoring centre forward Must be. Priority.
I won’t be back as long as Nancy is still in charge.HH👍🇮🇪
by CHRISTOPHER CURRIE
This is Peter Lawwells parting gift to the Celtic fans…..now I’ve driven Brendan out and stopped his fanciful notion of succeeding in Europe…let’s bring them back down to a level that keeps the ranjurs on a level keel or better than them