My friends in Celtic, we are the laughing stock of the football world. This status has been achieved by becoming the soft touches of Scottish football. Dundee United can only win one game in 11? Not to worry, we’ve Celtic next. St Mirren only won two games in 10? Chill, it’s Celtic at Hampden. United are so poor, that win of theirs came against an even-poorer St Mirren.
Three weeks ago we were hot favourites for the league, with a nine-point advantage over Newco. We still have an advantage, but a third place finish is now as likely as any other outcome. Maybe you always fancied a crack at the Conference League?
Last night’s game at Tannadice encapsulated so much of the story. Celtic were scintillating for much of the first half and could have had the game won. It is not Wilfried Nancy’s fault that the squad is short of an experienced striker who would have made that a reality.
However, Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin, figured out what Celtic were doing at halftime and turned the tables. Celtic were completely nullified from the start of second period. The equaliser on 58 minutes was more than merited, as Celtic were unable to clear their lines until then. Both United goals came from pressure after a corner kick. That’s five goals in four games from corners Celtic have conceded. Maybe playing with only one central defender for the first time this century is a bit too radical?
Goodwin in not alone. Derek McInnes figured out the same thing for Hearts earlier this month. His side were battered for the opening 30 minutes, changed to suit the Celtic formation and had their easiest game at Celtic Park for a long time. St Mirren’s Stephen Robinson had seen enough to know what to do before he arrived at Hampden on Sunday. Celtic’s formation made it easy for all three.
This period has encouraged our opponents. Newco and Hearts were broken at the beginning of this month. Today they are invigorated and they will approach each game, as well as the January transfer window, with renewed appetite. Celtic are there for the taking and everyone knows it. I am getting “What is going on?” messages from across the world; we are world news. This scale of capitulation is that exceptional.
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I have some sympathy for Wilf , he has inherited the worst group of defenders and forwards seen at Lennoxtown for a long time. MON and SM managed to select a winning formation albeit from last minute winners from midfield scorers and a bit of luck, you can only *** with the **** you’ve got, so imo the handover to Wilf has left a lot to be desired , we had the interim management team in situ with the same squad and winning matches , we knew that Wilf teams played a certain formation unfamiliar with our current poor squad then why oh why the rush to dump the interim management group , imo it would have been more beneficial to bring in Wilf to assess the current squad with a view to the January transfer window to purchase the urgent need for the players required to play his preferred system other than trying to fit square pegs in to round holes.
Why has it been allowed to get us into the state we are in, totally scunnered
…..McInness,Robinson and Goodwin outfoxed us.Losing to Roma was expected……Aberdeen boss will let Celtic control first half….then smash and grab.Looking bad at the moment, I’m still sure the league will be won.Players back from injury ,new addition ‘ In the January sales’ yes,we will be League Champions 25/26.
Maybe they’ll wait until Auchinleck go ballistic……
….meant if Aberdeen boss reads CQN ….will let Celtic control…
Bada
Is it from a good source?
a peter martin tweet
https://x.com/PeterMsport/status/2001634980196421830
Peter Martin tweet saying discussions taking place about Wilf going
Nancy’s tactics have exposed a lot of our players deficiencies. They just cant adapt to his strategy. They look lost and weak and lack confidence . BR warned several times he had a sub standard team and needed quality added. He never got it. Only stab in the dark projects and players who fell into the Boards miserly affordability budget. This situation has been coming. And we now have a bargain basement Manager to match our bargain basement players. BR, MON and Shaun had these players punching above their collective ability. That wont happen under Nancy’s dogmatic philosophy. I still feel sorry for Nancy. He has been sold a pup and hasnt the wherewithal to make a strong dog out of it. The Board have two choices. Perservere with Nancy but only if he reverts to a back 4 and a system he has the players for. Or get shot of now. We can still win the league but need a radical change in manager and player acquisition.
It should be short, sign here.
Some on here can’t even write down the word ‘Board’ when they are attempting to make excuses for them.
Cognitive Dissonance CSC
If it is the case, then the players must have downed tools and made representations to those in charge.
SAINT STIVS on 18TH DECEMBER 2025 12:59 PM
bournesouprecipe on 18th December 2025 12:51 pm
Nothing but sympathy for Wilfried Nancy
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serious question time.
imho analtics and data apply as much to the managers stats as they do to individual players.
by what metric then was wilfie ranked as the executives first pick ?
our only hope is the other teams are just as inconsistent, the league winner are on target for the lowest points and goals scored in a 3 for a win league season.
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Top commenters asked that question before his plane had landed.
Others said nothing but Hail Marys.
Cliftoncelt on 18th December 2025 1:08 pm
I was thinking when Brendan got announced with the Saudi team, will we see him get the players that he might have wanted to bring to Celtic but was not allowed ?
Lets see how succesful he becomes in that environment.
In another thought, and looking at the league table, we are a couple of games from the halfway mark.
Although they have only lost once, Hearts are just 6 points ahead while we have that game in hand.
The blue meanies 3 behind us having played a game more.
But beyond the points, the goal difference now starts to look interesting, 21. 13. 10 and Mwell 10.
This league could come down to goal difference.
We need proven consistent goalscorers. And fast.
THE BADA BING on 18TH DECEMBER 2025 12:56 PM
Where did you hear this? I’d take that, to be honest. Costlier not to.
so who next??
dessybhoy on 18th December 2025 1:04 pm
Bada
Is it from a good source?
Peter Martin
Well if we sack a manager after our support roundly abused him and chanted Nancy gtf in a game where his players passed up chance after chance I really don’t know what it says about the club.
2 weeks in a job after 4 tricky games in a toxic atmosphere with none of his own players or indeed any time to deliver what he offered.
Really not a good look. Mob Rule FC.
It is all the BOARDS fault, it’s the worst squad of players for about 10 years.
A decline managed by our board who want our money for themselves, who benefits with a bank balance our board, slap each other in the back and stick their fat snouts in the trough even further.
Meanwhile manager after manager and fans suffer.
Imagine what we could do with a forward thinking board with fresh new, bright ideas.
We can but dream as Mr Desmond will hold the reins with his single majority shareholding and we will suffer.
I cannot see an end to this whole debacle.
Regarding Nancy, for his own health he should head back to the good ole US of A, as he is way out his depth and our board will give him a nervous breakdown.
Cut him loose.
Then we get team back on track and get rid of 1 or 2 more board members, then and only then we might see improvements
D. :)
Bada
Hearing similar btw. Not so good. It really is not a good reflection on anything to do with Celtic imo. I do respect many see it differently.
He’s incapable of managing Celtic and should never have got the job, tha’ts on those who hired him and they need to follow him out the door for good.
But . . . . .but . . . .but 28 league championships in 20 seasons. . . . . .
PISTOLERO DO NOT FORSAKE ME IN MY HOUR OF NEED.
David 66
What financial gain does anyone on the board personally get from money in the bank ?
With respect I think it is zero.
What is going on…
Could MON lift the players once more if he came back in? No easy task, this past two weeks has taken its toll on us all, the players must be bewildered.
Would he even want to come back?
How reliable is that journo?
More likely it is the BoD Christmas lunch and PL is negotiating with Nancy as to who is paying for it.
Some idiot on about mob rule…must be the board mob he is babbling about.
D. :)
b78.
re this
2 weeks in a job after 4 tricky games in a toxic atmosphere with none of his own players or indeed any time to deliver what he offered.
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you were highly succesful in business.
I am sure you experienced change management often.
Forcing changes on the way the players played, and insisting on his own formations first was a massively silly own goal (pardon the pun).
Alien to most but, those games were JUST DONT LOSE GAMES, not to be written off as just trying his own stuff regardless.
I feel sorry for the fella, and his staff, they all looked under-prepared at Hampden.
Time to say goodbye.
Peter Martin was the Boavista commentator i believe, when Larsson scored to take us to the final.
Seems like a thousand years ago.
If I were MoN, I’d be slightly miffed to get a team to a cup final, asked to step aside for a final the team lost then asked to come back again after the final.
I agree Burnley78 – really not a good look but needs must with January coming up. Why delay the inevitable?
CLIFTONCELT on 18TH DECEMBER 2025 1:08 PM
Nancy’s tactics have exposed a lot of our players deficiencies. They just cant adapt to his strategy. They look lost and weak and lack confidence . BR warned several times he had a sub standard team and needed quality added.
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FWIW – He did indeed his assessment, was spot on, before he fully developed the petted lip and infuriated DD. He was emptied into the last year of his contract, and didn’t fancy it, or Paul Tisdale’s daisy chain of low buys, by that time they’d lost £40M overnight in Kairat. The mad deadline day buys may have made a bad situation, worse.
Then look what they went out and did?
There are other opinions widely available
Hail Hail
B78 – I agree the optics are absolutely dreadful, particularly after Peter Lawwell’s statement yesterday.
However, Wilfried Nancy looks totally out of his depth.
I’ve always lived by the adage ‘if you’re going to panic, panic early’. Clearly we’ll never know if he would have been a success given more time and transfer funds, but on the evidence so far I wouldn’t risk it. For me it’s hats off if they’re moving quickly to rectify a terrible mistake.
Time will tell if Desmond’s words yesterday were sincere or hollow. If it’s the former I suspect the mob will be somewhere on his ‘to do’ list.
No doubt they will be penning another statement blaming the fans for WN not succeeding.
Yeah – not a good look shouting for the manager to be sacked. Unless of course the manager is Brendan Rodgers.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 18TH DECEMBER 2025 1:41 PM
Yeah – not a good look shouting for the manager to be sacked. Unless of course the manager is Brendan Rodgers.
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Played 👏👏👏
Can’t recall ever hearing or reading “Rodgers, Rodgers GTF, Rodgers GTF”.
I must have missed it.
John Barnes will be getting his megaphone out to call us all racists.
What a time to be alive.
I also feel for Wilfired Nancy, though I don’t think he did his homework with regards to Celtic and the players he was inheriting. I look to when he met Jamesie in Lennoxtown, and you could tell he had no clue who he was. How many of us were sitting last night at halftime, knowing that if United scored, we would capitulate??? When Yang won the ball then it went out for a corner, that sick feeling entered my stomach and boom, another goal from a corner. Yes, the players have to take the blame as well. You don’t win games if you don’t take your chances. We are losing with minutes to go and we cannot get a corner kick off the ground, and the ball ends up out of play at the other end of the field. the gaps at the back at the start of the second half were criminal. There is no way back for the manager when he is leaving the field and he hears all that abuse. Who is to blame Paul??? I think you know who has to take a lot of the credit for where we are right now. The guys with the grey and green ties sitting there only communicating with the outside world when it comes to ridiculing and accusing our fans, might have something to do with it. I remember when I left Celtic park after a Celtic rangers game, cussing out Wayne Biggins. I was injured at the time, quelle surprise, and I threw my crutches over a wall at janefield st, and it took me an eternity to get back to the bus, and the members of the cross keys were pissed at me. Comes to find out most of them had left at halftime and went to the pub as the game was shite. Bringing in a new manager right now will be just as tough as sticking with Wlfried. It is still the same squad. We can tweak the tactics and formation, but we still have wingers who will not take someone on 1v1. We still have defenders who cannot defend corner kicks, and no reliable consistent forward to bury their chances.
I feel like a broken man right now, as I know most of you do. I came home last night and went straight downstairs to the tv room. I heard my wife asking my son if dad was watching TV, and he said no he is sitting in the dark. Her reaction was that I guess Celtic had lost again:))) How pitiful my friends.
Sorry for the long stupid post.
Sean