MOTHERWELL 2 CELTIC 0
WILFRIED NANCY stood dumbstruck on the sidelines as Celtic blew the chance to go joint top of the Premiership following an embarrassing display in an x-certificate performance against Motherwell at Fir Park tonight.
The misery kicked in again with the Frenchman’s fifth defeat in only seven games after the respite of two wins against Aberdeen and Livingston.
There can be no argument the better team won on this occasion and it’s back to the drawing board for Nancy.
He is going to have to be honest with himself – this is not working.
The Hoops were distinctly second best throughout and they gifted the hosts the lead and were relieved to hear Kevin Clancy’s whistle to signal the interval.
It was an appalling, slipshod performance from a collection of players who found the greatest difficulty in being able to pass the ball to anyone wearing the same colour of strip.
Reo Hatate was a one-man disaster area as he continually gave away possession with a conveyor belt of dreadful passes while Paulo Bernardo and Benjamin Nygren didn’t contribute too much.
A dismal first-half came to a halt with Well keeper Calum Ward having absolutely nothing to deal with.
CONCERNED …Wilfried Nancy at Fir Park.
The home side bossed the game as they controlled possession and when they did lose the ball they didn’t have too long to wait before some obliging Celt gave them it back.
Even the goal in the 13th minute was practically gift-wrapped when Stephen O’Donnell sent in a long angled ball from the right.
Auston Trusty looked in a good position to deal with the danger until he alarmingly lost the ball in flight and Ibrahim Said was allowed to race in behind him and glance a header past the rooted Kasper Schmeichel low to his left.
Understandably, the Danish keeper blew his top at the antics of his dithering defenders shortly afterwards when Bernardo was sloppy with a pass to set up another counter-attack from Well.
On this occasion, the hosts were crowded out, but this looked like a Celtic team on a suicide mission.
And Schmeichel joined in just before the hour mark when a dangerous ball out to Arne Engels saw the Belgian slip and Elijah Just snapped on to the pass. His shot was diverted to Elliot Watt who rolled the ball into the inviting net for the killer second.
It was game over at that moment. Some Celtic teams have the desire and quality to come back from two goal down with 32 minutes to play.
Not this Celtic team.
The game passed by Callum McGregor while Daizen Maeda was largely anonymous and it was no surprise when he didn’t reappear for the second-half.
It was little wonder Nancy looked concerned as he watched his team outfought and out-thought in all areas of the pitch.
THE OLD ONE-TWO…Kasper Schmeichel is stranded as Ibrahim Said’s header sails towards the Celtic net for the opener and (below) the keeper is helpless again as Elliot Watt hits the second.
At the restart, the manager threw on Luke McCowan for Kieran Tierney, Arne Engels for Bernardo and Shin Yamada for Maeda in an effort to turn things around.
For a spell, there was a refreshing energy about the champions and the 51st minute they had their first shot on target, but, unfortunately, Yamada’s low angled drive lacked accuracy and oomph and Ward was allowed to sprawl to his right to push the ball to safety.
The early revitalisation in the play of the visitors expired as Well took control again and claimed the second goal in the 58th minute after Schmeichel’s calamitous kick to Engels.
Nancy sent on Colby Donovan for Ralston in the 59th minute and James Forrest joined the action seven minutes later when he replaced Yang.
In the 79th minute Nygren forced a good diving save from Ward, but by then it was too little too late.
Nancy is setting too many unwanted records since his arrival earlier this month.
His record of four successive defeats is the worst on record for any now Celtic manager.
Tonight was also the first time Well have beaten the Hoops at Fir Park since April 2013.
The alarm bells are now truly well and ringing in the east end of Glasgow.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Ralston (sub: Donovan 59), Trusty, Scales, Tierney (sub: McCowan 46); Nygren, Bernardo (sub: Engels 46), McGregor, Hatate; Yang (sub: Forrest 66), Maeda (sub: Yamada 46).
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