Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy arriving at the ground ahead of the Scottish Premiership match between Livingston and Celtic at Set Fare Arena on December 27, 2025. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
Neil Lennon has weighed in on Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous spell in charge of Celtic, characterising it as a managerial experiment that failed to deliver…
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy looks on during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Nancy’s unexpected move from Columbus Crew to the Scottish champions late last year marked his first opportunity in European football.
His appointment came at the expense of Martin O’Neill, who had been guiding the side on an interim basis and overseeing a noticeable improvement in performances and results.
Nancy’s appointment brought immediate disruption
However, Nancy’s appointment brought immediate disruption. A new tactical approach and altered system failed to take hold, with Celtic suffering six defeats in eight matches. Nancy was dismissed after just 33 days at the helm.
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy and Shin Yamada are seen during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Russell Martin had similar pattern earlier in season at Rangers
A similar pattern had already emerged at the Ibrox club earlier in the season, where Russell Martin was unable to establish momentum despite having the benefit of pre-season preparations.
Wilfried Nancy, manager of Celtic, reacts during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and the Rangers at Celtic Park on January 03, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Speaking on talkSPORT, Lennon questioned the reasoning behind these unconventional appointments and suggested their minimal impact highlights the risks involved in such short-term managerial gambles.
Lennon said: “Well, you’ve got — I don’t know what you would call them, Andy — the new age manager. Some are successful, and some aren’t. It wouldn’t be my cup of tea, and it wouldn’t be how I would approach a management job.”
“There’s a lot of PR work that goes on behind the scenes, without any real substance to what they’re actually doing.
“And I think, sometimes, they fall short. They get found out. Russell had a good pedigree when he came up here, but Glasgow’s a very intense environment. You need to get results, and that went against him.”
Lennon added: “Wilfried Nancy… I don’t know who was behind that appointment, but it didn’t work out very well in a short space of time, so Celtic had to change that very quickly.
“They brought in a man with good experience, who’d been over the course and distance before. He obviously works with you guys at times, with Simon [Jordan] and Jim White.”
Martin O’Neill arrives at Celtic Park. Spirit of ’86 – Celtic team’s welcome to Paradise. Saturday 25 April 2026. Celtic v Falkirk. Scottish Premiership. Photo Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
“Man-management is key, but obviously, you use all the tools at your disposal. With the data analytics, with the analysis of oppositions, with the trends that you follow in the game,” Neil Lennon stated.
“You take it on board, but you don’t have to preach it from the pulpit all the time. You can sort of take it in and use it to your advantage, but also have your own platform to work from.”
Just finished my degree studying History and Journalism, Media and Communications at the University of Strathclyde and now writing regularly about the Hoops on Celtic Shorts, having cut my teeth on The Celtic Star.
In fairness to Nancy, I thought we did play some of our best attacking football this season, in very limited periods, but couldn’t get the winning results that our club demands?
Was always a massive risk, and wasn’t in favour of such a change at the time, especially with such an injury list in operation for ourselves, along with the levels of instability within our club also at the time.
Haven’t got any issues regarding any manager going for the 3CB option, but when you haven’t got the profile of 3 CB available to play the likes, it’s always going to be a massive gamble to be taking imo?
We haven’t got ball playing CBs available, especially when the profile of a CB within the Scottish game calls for the more physical element required within there game. Even Trusty took time to adjust to the physical demands required for the Scottish game, and wouldn’t class him as a great ball playing CB either, and scales possibly even worse in that element of there game.
Tierney is OK in fairness, but you are losing his attacking intentions as a result, which have been very beneficial to ourselves this season?
Still don’t understand how we ended up with a so called footballing doctor, who only really had the ability to make ourselves sick, yet seemed to be trusted in the decision making department?
That alone, possibly meant Nancy never really had a chance to operate properly, especially without the tools available to take on a playing style he visioned for ourselves imo?
With that in mind, our next managerial appointment, will have to consider what is available to himself within the playing squad already. In order to be able to utilise the limited number of players available to himself to begin with imo?
That’s before the strengthening process that’s required even starts to take place.
Believe MoN is already addressing that process involved at present, along with the demands of having to win matches imo?
So any new candidate for the managerial position, has a far better understanding as to what he potentially will be walking into squad wise imo?
The question will still remain as to whether current players will buy into such plans, especially when they clearly didn’t regarding Nancy?
1 Comment
In fairness to Nancy, I thought we did play some of our best attacking football this season, in very limited periods, but couldn’t get the winning results that our club demands?
Was always a massive risk, and wasn’t in favour of such a change at the time, especially with such an injury list in operation for ourselves, along with the levels of instability within our club also at the time.
Haven’t got any issues regarding any manager going for the 3CB option, but when you haven’t got the profile of 3 CB available to play the likes, it’s always going to be a massive gamble to be taking imo?
We haven’t got ball playing CBs available, especially when the profile of a CB within the Scottish game calls for the more physical element required within there game. Even Trusty took time to adjust to the physical demands required for the Scottish game, and wouldn’t class him as a great ball playing CB either, and scales possibly even worse in that element of there game.
Tierney is OK in fairness, but you are losing his attacking intentions as a result, which have been very beneficial to ourselves this season?
Still don’t understand how we ended up with a so called footballing doctor, who only really had the ability to make ourselves sick, yet seemed to be trusted in the decision making department?
That alone, possibly meant Nancy never really had a chance to operate properly, especially without the tools available to take on a playing style he visioned for ourselves imo?
With that in mind, our next managerial appointment, will have to consider what is available to himself within the playing squad already. In order to be able to utilise the limited number of players available to himself to begin with imo?
That’s before the strengthening process that’s required even starts to take place.
Believe MoN is already addressing that process involved at present, along with the demands of having to win matches imo?
So any new candidate for the managerial position, has a far better understanding as to what he potentially will be walking into squad wise imo?
The question will still remain as to whether current players will buy into such plans, especially when they clearly didn’t regarding Nancy?