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Brother Wilfried

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

With a UK work permit attained and (I presume) Uefa coaching badges secured, Wilfried Nancy yesterday became the 20th permanent manager in Celtic’s history.  The 48-year-old has four years managerial experience in Major League Soccer with CF Montreal and Columbus Crew.

In his first season, he won the Canadian Championship.  The following year, he took Montreal to the CONCACAF Champions League quarter final, where they lost to Mexican side Cruz Azul. An interesting insight into his character revealed that year, when Wilfried got into a spat with the owner of Montreal after a bad defeat.  Nancy asked to be relieved from his contract with immediate effect, but was talked into staying until the end of the season.

Three years ago this Friday Columbus Crew bought out his Montreal contract and brought Wilfried to Ohio as their new head coach.  In his first season at Columbus he won the MLS Cup and in 2024 he won the Leagues Cup.  He also got to the Champions League Final that term and won the MLS Coach of the Year award.  The season which ended last month was less successful, with Columbus finishing the MLS in 7th place.

The strength of character he so publicly displayed at Montreal will be an asset in Glasgow; this is not a city which rewards meekness in its football employees.  His core talent is that of a tactician, with his favoured style regarded as attacking (which also known as risky).

I watched last night’s performance through the prism of what the new manager would make of his players.  Auston Trusty broke through the lines and was regularly found on the wings in an attacking position; consistent with how Nancy setup at Columbus.

That aside, watching last night’s performance, Wilfried will have a good idea why the job became available.  Celtic moved to joint top of the table last night, rescued from aimlessness by an heroic effort from Martin O’Neill, but I am sure the message was made clear to him at interview, this is Celtic at the bottom of the curve.  The team needs to be rebuilt in 2026.

The immediate task is to deal with Hearts on Sunday.  Hearts maybe in a rut, but they are better than Dundee, Sunday will be a challenge.  To those who would prefer Wilfried’s competitive introduction was against lesser opponents, need I remind you of Lincoln Red Imps, or Artmedia Bratislava?

My finger in the air reading of the reaction to the appointment is that some people have learned from their deranged response to the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in 2021.    That day’s comments on CQN are worth a revisit.  Wilfried is an unknown quantity in European football, his merits were earned in an environment often overlooked.  At 48, he is seven years younger than Ange when he arrived from Japan and transformed the club.  The parallels are not perfect, but they are bound to have given Celtic some comfort that appointing a middle aged coach who is not on the UK/European circuit can offer a greater return.

Brother Walfried takes over from the Blessed Martin.  Martin O’Neill answered the call with Celtic in a tailspin having lost their previous two Premiership games.  In his short time, he collected 15 points from five league games, won a League Cup semifinal and beat Feyenoord at De Kuip, the only reversal at Midtjylland.

That is a remarkable return for a remarkable football manager and man.  His charm has been inspiring and his considerable legacy enhanced.  Who thought that possible?

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  2. the Bada Bing on

    Nicholson must have used his Satnav to get to Lennoxtown heard from a few connected guys that he’s never actually walked round Celtic Park

  3. Kelvinbhoy on

    Martin and the others that came in have done brilliantly but it was always going to be temporary. Wilfried now in-situ and I hope he is backed by everyone connected with the Club and can be himself and supported in that.

     

     

    I know words and soundbites don’t win trophies but impressed with the direct way he speaks in what I’ve heard and read today. I especially liked this – “I don’t consider myself as a boss, I am a leader. The definition of leader is to put a good environment to help and to give the possibility, to the people that I work with to express themselves.”

  4. celtic40me on

    THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 4TH DECEMBER 2025 6:03 PM

     

     

    Thanks. Hes a talks well, convincingly fit Whay it’s worth

     

     

    It sounds like he’s not changing anything major anytime soon.

     

     

    His assistant Kwame Ampadu is a Dubliner by upbringing so hopefully BW will understand a bit of the culture already

  7. DeniaBhoy on

    CELTIC40ME – As a coincidence, Nancy is moving from Dublin, a suburb of Columbus with a population of around 50,000, which claims to have the largest three-day Irish festival in the world.

  9. KevJungle on

    SFTB – If you are reading this from above, hopefully you now know that I and a lot of others were only trying to help, and make sure that you would still be here kicking my erchie up and down the blog?

     

    I wish that was still the case.

     

    My remaining CQN opposition says that CQN has lost a “TITAN” and I agree ABSOLUTELY with that and so much more that has been said about your loss to the blog.

     

    Always remember, point scoring was NOT THE GAME, if only it was a game.

     

    But it wasn’t, it was a Genocide of everyone who is not from the Lobby Tribe.

     

    I wish that I didn’t have to say that, but so many innocent people are still unaware of what happened from 2020/21/22/23 and they are still trying to deceive innocent people with new lies, but with the same poisons.

     

    It is the DUTY of all who now are capable of adding the jigsaw pieces together, to put their arms around their HUMAN comrades and together stopping innocent people from being tricked and lied to by the forces of dark deeds.

     

    We are all Humans and that means that we all suffer from “Human Frailty” that is not a sin, its a fact.

     

    Rest in Peace – SETTING FREE THE BEARS

     

    Hopefully one day we’ll be on the same side up above.

     

    Love from KEVJUNGLE.

  11. lets all do the huddle on

    a humerous diversion from having to read the racist’s posts –

     

     

    but the commentator on talk sport at old trafford thought it was necessary to explain to the listeners who the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand was named after

     

     

    😃

  12. celtic40me on

    DENIABHOY on 4TH DECEMBER 2025 7:48 PM

     

     

    👍

     

     

    Well said before, we know what sort of abuse the Huns are capable of even these days.

  13. KevJungle on

    ……

     

    I hope there are savvy yins inside the club making the new boss aware of the slithering sleekitry of the media in Scotland which is anything but Bonny.

     

    SEVENTEEN YEARS of Snp/Greens scHunbaggery has saw to that.

     

    I don’t mean this in a hurting way, but as a cautionary minding our surroundings way, that to pay attention to how the media sleekits say our new boss’s surname.

     

    We would be far better served if we were run by uppity Unapologetic Tims who saw every media interview as an opportunity to teach the present AND future generations of Celtic fans that the media is a layer of the anti Celtic establishment, and must always be viewed through that lens.

     

    Cordiality should not be on the table for these lizards!

     

    There will be the occasional Celtic supporters in the media like, COONEY, KEEVINS, McCARRA. McNEE, who will be viewed as not being Celtic enough, but that is not their job.

     

    It used to be hilarious to read posts about why KEEVINS isny standing up for Celtic, whilst we have a Masonic Secret Yachting Society in the boardroom who don’t lift a finger to fight for Celtic or show what leading Celtic REALLY means.

     

    Like during the 2012 Ibrox EBT/HMRC/STOLEN/TROPHIES carry on.

     

    Our leaders hid under the bed saying it was none of our business.

     

    Yet it was our supporters/players/managers who were cheated out of 20+ trophies, THAT, makes it ENTIRELY our business.

     

    We wouldn’t have needed Res12/5WA/etc if our board was doing its job.

     

    We should have shown in 2012 just how BIG and INCLUSIVE that we REALLY are by insisting that pay at the gate, run of the mill, season ticket holding, working class, football fans, MUST NOT be punished for DAVID MURRAY’s EBT/HMRC/CRIMEWAVE not at all!

     

    A Crimewave that outs the Huns Tax sleekitry all the way back to their dubious signing of Mo Johnston in 1989, who was used by Jack McGinn led board to lift the club up off the floor for the 1989 Joe Miller SCF, then Mo was thrown under a bus by the desperate, and thoroughly sleekit, McGinn led board, who were about to be knocked onto their erchies for the next 9 years, as Mo Johnston got his revenge on the sleekit board! lol

     

    But we were equally corrupt in 2012 then later in 2016 when Sevco got promoted disguised as Rangers and our shameless PLC and supporter base went along with the same club lie cover up, for [[49 Quid]] sugar coated by the flying monkey circuses that greeted the arrival of Rodgers-1, who himself wouldn’t have been aware of all of this sleekitry of course he wouldn’t, corrupt with cheap punk sleekitry, AND, that is the type of board that we still have 13 years AFTER 2012. lol

     

    Shhhhhhhh – don’t tell Dimothy. lol

     

    A Celtic supporter base comprised of sweetie wife filled cliques will solve NOTHING.

     

    Not now, not EVER!

  15. jackiemac on

    The army are sponsoring man u v west ham on sky tonight – interesting

     

    (oh and reform are after your pension).

  21. celtic40me on

    JACKIEMAC on 4TH DECEMBER 2025 8:24 PM

     

     

    The paradox is that Reform’s support base is mainly pensioners and people who don’t work due to sickness but they are the party who are talking about getting rid of the triple lock and slashing PIP payments.

  23. Tom McLaughlin on

    CELTIC40ME

     

    The paradox is that Reform’s support base is mainly pensioners and people who don’t work due to sickness

     

     

    Where are you getting that shite from?

  24. An Dún on

    AN DÚN on 4TH DECEMBER 2025 1:20 PM

     

    MOISEY17

     

     

     

     

     

    Even the unveiling, if you could call it that, was kinda uninspiring

     

     

     

     

     

    ——

     

     

     

     

     

    I’m assuming there’ll be a press conference and that we may even see and hear from our CEO.

     

     

     

     

     

    I may be assuming too much though.

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    I hold my hand up, I did indeed assume too much.

     

     

    Unlike Ange and BR, there was no public press conference with our CEO in attendance to unveil our new manager.

     

     

    But Wilfried did get a hug at Lennoxtown so I’m sure he appreciated that vote of public confidence and support from his CEO.

  26. bigbhoy on

    Wilfred was a black european living in Columbus Ohio, US, The US president is Trump and Nancy is not his voting base. I think a move to Glasgow would be welcome for him, his comments today confirm this is the case.

     

     

    Wilfred and his coaches should be given the opportunities to make mistakes and errors of judgement as is natural, The comparison should be a declining Rodgers and not the Temporary Manager O’Neill, Remember There will be a bedding in period and a period for the players learning what the coaches want,

     

     

    Please let us be patient at least for the rest of the season

  27. KevJungle on

    bigbhoy on 4th December 2025 8:55 pm

     

    …..

     

     

    You would be surprised how many MORE black people, 2/3rds I think, who voted for Trump over creepy Joe Biden, who has a secret “slave trade” mainly of black people who are captured in the prison system.

     

    This was not the case until Obama became President, saying one thing and doing another just like the rest of them actually.

     

    HH

     

    oot.

  29. Bhoyjoebelfast on

    ●Asked this wee poser on the day we welcome our new manager●

     

    Spot the connection.

     

    6th May 1970 San Siro

     

    16th September 1981 Celtic Park.

  31. lets all do the huddle on

    more great commentary from talksport –

     

     

    the co-commentator about Dalot controlling the ball before scoring-

     

     

    she said “he killed it on a sixpence”

     

     

    superb

     

     

    😃

  32. Celtic Mac on

    If you are lucky enough to have a clear sky tonight and look to the South East you will be viewing the last Supermoon of this year. This is the last chance for the moonhowlers out there…..

     

    But you knew that already….didn’t ye?

  34. the Bada Bing on

    lets all do the huddle on 4th December 2025 9:20 pm

     

    Lianne Sanderson…

     

     

     

    Youbcou

  35. the Bada Bing on

    lets all do the huddle on 4th December 2025 9:20 pm

     

    Lianne Sanderson

     

     

    You could land a plane oan they teeth

  37. Nick on

    the Bada Bing on 4th December 2025 7:14 pm

     

    Nicholson must have used his Satnav to get to Lennoxtown heard from a few connected guys that he’s never actually walked round Celtic Park

     

     

    =====

     

     

    You think he has never walked around Celtic Park and does not know how to get to Lennoxtown?

  40. lets all do the huddle on

    lets all do the huddle on 4th December 2025 9:20 pm

     

     

    Lianne Sanderson

     

     

    You could land a plane oan they teeth

     

    —

     

     

    to be honest i have no idea who she is and im listening to it on the radio so couldnt possibly comment!!

  41. lets all do the huddle on

    lets all do the huddle

     

     

    Does that no make him ‘a tanner ba’ player’?

     

     

    No?

     

    —

     

     

    i will bow to your knowledge of the era that phrase originates from 😃

  42. quadrophenian on

    Impressive interview by what immediately looks to be a charismatic and relatable new manager.

     

    Heartwarming that he seemed to ‘get’ the soul of Celtic; I felt he really related to the club’s DNA about justice and common good (which really screams from the terraces and mibby more quietly from the boardroom).

     

     

    I get that it’s a big move and a lot of life logistics are involved. However, a job at Celtic is a key step on setting your family up financially for life. Do well with us and the EPL or Ligue Un awaits.

     

     

    Anyways, very exciting chapter for us to be led (fitba wise) by a guy with a lot of humility and, IMO, quiet self-belief.

     

     

    Exciting times in Paradise Welcome Wilf.

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