Celtic bosses are fully committed to backing Wilfried Nancy after a disastrous opening period as Parkhead manager. The French tactician made history for all the wrong reasons, becoming the first Celtic manager to lose his opening three games.
It’s been a nightmare implementation since the head coach arrived from the Columbus Crew. Hearts remained top of the table with victory at Celtic Park, but Roma were ruthless and dispatched the Scottish champions in the Europa League.
But alarm bells are ringing among Celtic fans after St Mirren defeated struggling Bhoys in the Premier Sports Cup final to claim their first silver medal of the season.
Despite a disastrous start to his tenure, Nancy has stuck to his tactical approach and stuck to a 3-4-3 system, with critics now questioning his future in Celtic’s hot seat.
Nancy admitted there would always be “difficulties” along the way, even if results were poor, and insisted he had received assurances from the Celtic boardroom that they would remain firmly in his corner.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s game against Dundee United, he said: “I’m very grateful to the people I work with.
“They know why I’m here, they protect me and they know what I want to do for the club. They know where we are at the moment and they knew this moment could happen. But most importantly they know where we want to go.”
“There are ups and downs. Of course I would have preferred it the other way around, because when you’re doing this job and you lose, it’s very difficult and it’s very painful. But this is part of the job.”
“But the club, the people within the club, the board and everyone have responded appropriately.”
After returning to the managerial position following the unexpected resignation of Brendan Rodgers, Martin O’Neill won seven of eight games and has since implemented his own unique style of play. But Nancy insists his tactics are “not rocket science.”
He added: “I’m not here to please myself. I’m here to find ways to help the players play together offensively and defensively.”
“It’s completely normal for people to criticize me or make certain comments about the system or the way I play because I don’t win. But I think beyond just winning.
“It’s a character thing, it’s a character thing, it’s a consistency thing, it’s a question of how you want to play both offensively and defensively. It’s not a system thing. It’s a desire to always compete.”
“I’m always asking how I can improve, but at the moment it’s a little difficult to say that because we haven’t won yet.
“But once we start winning, it’ll be the same. Because win or lose, it’s my job to make the team better.”
He is confident a result will come for the Scottish champions, adding: “As a coach, we need time.
“But at the same time, I know I don’t have time. So it’s new for me. But I know what to do, and I can guarantee you that I’m making progress every day. You might not see it because you’re not with us.”
“I can’t talk too much because the results are important. And for a while I don’t have anything. But I know it’s coming.”
