“I only have 13 practices with my team, usually we have four weeks of preseason.” That’s what Wilfried Nancy said on Friday, before the weekend’s capitulation at Celtic Park. He added, “It’s totally normal that my players need a bit of time, it’s totally normal that my players could be confused at certain moments.”
The Gods of XG back up Wilfried’s belief that Celtic have been unfortunate in not picking up more points than they did. The defeat to Hearts falls into that category, but the second half turnaround by Dundee United and Newco, and entirely inept performances against St Mirren and Motherwell, deserved nothing better.
“New players, a bit of time” – elements the manager suggests will help. True. Spending many millions on players to beat St Mirren and Motherwell will almost certainly work. This is Scottish football. Read the Uefa league tables, if you want to check the standard. Our player stock is already vastly superior to anything most of our opponents can acquire, adding even more £1m salaried pros will inevitably help.
We can agree that without a preseason to practice, it is normal that players look as confused as they appear to be. The concern many have expressed, is why, when the required practice time was not available, or the squad not suitable, did we cast off in this direction?
My suspicion is, Wilfried looked at our history of winning practically everything, and perhaps the Uefa tables, and thought, “We’ve got this”. He surely did not expect Motherwell’s new manager to win so comfortably at home to Celtic.
Five weeks into the job, it is too late for the manager to revert to the system Martin O’Neill used to get Celtic consistently over the line (and little more). Wilfried’s reputation has been staked on this being the correct path. He will continue until it works or he is relieved of his duties. To be fair to Wilfried, this is probably the only way he knows to win, so he has no choice.
You and I have no experience of defeats arriving at this rate, so the impact is bound to be profound. That we are here due to a tactical change which has not had the required practice, points to poor decision making.
At that presser on Friday, Wilfried said, “Do your job”. The lad is bold, if nothing else. Having the best plan in the world is worth nothing if you allow the foundations to burn around you. It is time to get the job done, Wilfried.
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Ekbhoy
In that case he should go to man utd as she’s a Busby babe
Section111 on 5th January 2026 3:27 pm
SAINT STIVS on 5TH JANUARY 2026 3:08 PMSection111 on 5th January 2026 2:01 pm
The accounts overdue as well, just can’t quite figure out why that could be?
World class in everything we do though.
Hedge Fund CSC
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Section111.3.27
what axxounts are over due ? what has a hedge fund got to do with anything ?
Open your eyes mate!
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Am intrigued S111 :-))
,go on spell it out.
What’s your theory? What is Stivs missing,
HH
Help me oot
DeniaBhoy on 5th January 2026 5:21 pm
TIMBHOY163 – Wrong. A few have mentioned him on here in weeks gone by as one to keep an eye on. Motherwell have been playing good football this season, if a bit high risk at times. He is another disciple of playing out from the back.
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there was an exceptionally good caller to clyde last night, well fan.
he described possession based attacking football. but solid at the back including welsh.
i thought they were very brendan like against us.
Need a football man upstairs,a man who knows the game,and has played at a high level.An eye for a player(s) and someone whose job is his and non interference from the suits……if not MON,then get his advice on who would be best suited.The last number of days ( yes days!) shoul be a warning.
TITLE IN MAY CSC
Perhaps we should also be looking at the man who appointed JENS BERTHEL ASKOU to his current position. According to Wikipedia the current Motherwell manager is a former manager of the year…in the Faroe Islands and has a current win rate of less than 50% for his career.
EKBHOY on 5TH JANUARY 2026 5:21 PM
I suspect the Big Dog needs to rectify his mistakes and get a top manager
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There will be no ‘Mea Culpa’ from the managerial mess.
Indeed, we need new executives that are missing in all the inaction. Dormant when the cracks in the playing squad began to show last season before and during the Cup Final, and Kairat (£30M loss) this season.
Dermot Desmond didn’t have the desire to appoint someone with genuine pedigree, if he did that person would expect the club to modernise, and come into the real world, the one where Ross Desmond says we can’t go.
It’ll be another Lucky Ange or somebody already in the building,
Testing
GENE
EKBHOY
Trump’s dad had a Scottish wife.
Look how that ended.
The board are to be applauded for acting. I genuinely feared this may drag on for months.
I won’t celebrate Wilf leaving as such. He was the wrong fit. Best for him and the club that he left now
Excited for the forst time in a few months. Please recruit well, Celtic.
Hoping Dermot is not allowed any further access to club website for abother character assassination
New mgt team have quite the rebuild ahead
I don’t believe it’ll be MON….he’ll want a decent transfer budget….so that’ll hit that one
SM is probably a certainty and why he was brought back
Amazing how plans turn to fruition….he’ll certainly not demand a transfer budget and also cheapish!
Dushanbe Billy Bhoy @ 4:24pm
Cheers 🙂 …
.. but I’m on this side of the Atlantic
Have no idea where I got “gotten” from.
😄
Celtic shares closed flat but I see a few folks were prepared to pay 203/4p today. They’ve pretty much doubled over the past 5 years and as far as I can tell, haven’t been this high since September 2000.
Other SPL sides fans want success …..Celtic fans demand success…6 points behind….time for ACTION.
Allowing any of those on the board to oversee the a new era guarantees its corruption.
They must all be removed, an interim manager in place until the end of the season and total board restructure between now and then.
The infection wasn’t cured when the old manager was cut out. It will only be cured when the people who hired him are lanced from the body of this club, and the diseased process that allowed it is finally decapitated.
Celtic press on with Ta Bi signing
Paul67, Tom McLaughlin, Burnley78
You would each appear to have some access.
If so, thank you for sharing on here.
Dignity emerging from this shabby situation is going to be thin on the ground for some.
I feel sorry for Wilfried Nancy.
A desperate situation for any human being to be put in.
When he was appointed, I recall a really good post (from PLB, I think) speculating quite bluntly that today’s outcome was possible.
Respect.
https://celtsarehere.com/celtic-fc-peter-lawwell-new-role/
They need him for his influence at UEFA, never believed he was gone, unlike the GB who IMO will not be back, the suits are terrified of the Pro Palestine within the support, the Israeli lobby has tentacles longer than the goat mob believe me.
DeniaBhoy- seems winger from Israeli team is signing…..I would cancel all incoming players right now,we are currently stock piling shite wingers,don’t need another one
Among the expressions of relief and basic human decency on this terrific site, the response of a TINY, TINY minority is predictable.
The trouble with being driven by anger and bitterness … even when things in your midst start to improve?
… anger and bitterness can become habitual and hard to turn off.
If Celtic employees have to work a full calendar month before their first salary payment is made, Nancy will have the unenviable distinction of being the only Celtic manager to receive his first and last salary payment in the same transaction!
Another one to add to his list of Celtic record achievements!
My understanding is that Desmond instructed
McKay and MN to bring back Brendan. Both flew to Mallorca on a private and done the deal.
It all went wrong, and in his autumn statement DD was absolutely scathing about BR.
DD then followed it up by appointing or green lighting the appointment of the worst manager in our history.
Whether this is the Boards or Nicholson mess is one thing but what’s clear is that the majority shareholder and meddling non executive director is culpable for this entire mess.
The next appointment is critical. We need a proper manager who can bring calm and stability. Over to you, big dog.
The Bad Bing – agreed, especially if it was Tilsdale that identified him. From what I read earlier, he is playing for a mid-table team while out on loan from another mid-table team.
Priority surely has to be a goalkeeper, a RB and a CF. First team ready, match fit and with no history of recurring hamstring problems. 🙏😁
Delusion, to the egotistical who cannot admit that they were mugged, again, is even harder to turn off, it would seem.
£45M lost in CL money compensation to Rodgers, Nancy his entourage, and Columbus Crew.
Anyone know if Stevie Woods left because of WN or was going anyway? Strange to leave mid season after so many years. Always was spoken about as one of the good guys at CP. Could have done with help in keeping Kasper out of the fridge mind you.
MON at Kilsyth CSC tonight….
What cunning plan does DD have up his sleeve?
Is there a reason Maduro took his track suit to Washington?
DeniaBhoy- I posted a month ago Woods had gone,much to the derision of the men in the know on here.Tisdale put him on a ‘trial period ‘ ,he told him to Foxtrot Oscar,and was leaving, senior players went upstairs and complained, so he stayed on,then put his notice in,I dare say he could come back,if Brendan hasn’t got him a gig in Saudi yet.
We cant afford to bring in a new manager at the moment.18 games to play.No time for him to settle,transfer window,3 games a week.Madness.All focus on the League and getting a striker in.Maybe even the keeper,Meslier.A striker,a good one,or we win fek all.
Has to be MON and Sean.
Stevie Woods is still at Celtic.
Not sure about MON myself. We are now in a dog fight for the league and I don’t think he has the energy levels or tactics. He had a couple of v close wins in his spell with us, so we probably shouldn’t overstate that.
If we could get Askou to work with Maloney, maybe Callum also doing player/coach it could be quite exciting, and would put Rohl back in his box. Hearts will be clawed back. Let’s make sure it is by us.
Got to say, I think the outpouring by wee Luke has started this inevitable process moving forward.
No to the Motherwell guy, little experience and to me, a flash in the pan.
Answer to me is clear as day, MON as Director of football , manager to the end of the season, then get Knudsen in full time
kinglubo
Laxalt
You never took my bet .
But I am so happy at the sackings ,
I will still buy you that pint .
Rumours that we are about to appoint Johnson & Truss as replacements, have me concerned .
TT
Don’t give a fek about what team the winger is coming from.We need a RWr and he is highly rated.Let’s see how he is.He is our player now.
Striker should be in by Saturday.No fekin about,urgent requirement.
MON in for Wednesday.Here we go.
Anyway,its great news today,BUT,a big one,knowing this Board,they could fek it all up again.
I am being serious.
Reports Maloney and McManus taking training tomorrow
BHOYS TOWN
Are we so far up our own arses that Martin O’Neill can be judged negatively because he had “a couple of very close wins” during his interim role with us?
My word, how we’d have loved very close wins at Tynecastle, Tannadice and Hampden recently.