NANCY’S ‘MASSIVE GAMBLE’ HAS BACKFIRED, INSISTS CELTIC HERO

CHRIS SUTTON reckons a “massive gamble” by Wilfried Nancy has backfired.

But the former Celtic goal hero also insists the new Hoops boss needs time while there is an element of the club’s support – some “sensible people: according to Sutton – who are already calling for the sack after three defeats in his first three games.

There was also the revelation that the incoming gaffer and the departing Martin O’Neill, with seven wins from eight games during his interim period in charge, only had a brief meeting before the changeover.

Nancy is now under awesome pressure to deliver against Dundee United at Tannadice tomorrow night in the immediate aftermath of the utterly dismal 3-1 loss to St Mirren in the Premier Sports League Cup Final at Hampden.

SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT…Wilfried Nancy screams instructions to his players at Hampden.

That nosedive followed a 2-1 debut day loss to Hearts and a 3-0 Europa League thrashing from AS Roma, both at Parkhead, which were hardly ideal preparation for the challenge for the first silverware of the campaign.

Sutton said: “Wilfried Nancy has gone in and his first three games were always going to be difficult.

“In many ways, Martin O’Neill half-killed him winning seven out of eight. It’s such a remarkable job that Martin did and in many of those interviews after the games he was saying: ‘It’s all about winning’. In many ways, he is right.

“It did surprise me that Martin said the conversation they had was only for 15 minutes.

“I can’t believe Wilfried Nancy has picked his brains more. But he has come in from Columbus Crew, he wants to implement his own way of playing and he has done so immediately.”

Sutton, speaking to the BBC’s Monday Night Club, continued: “With Hearts, who are well organised – that was quite a close game – and then get walloped by Roma. I don’t care if Brendan Rodgers or Martin O’Neill had been in charge of that Celtic team, Roma were a different level.

“However, for a St Mirren team to dominate Celtic in the way they did, that’s a problem for Wilfried Nancy.

TEAM TALK…Callum McGregor chats to team-mates Kelechi Iheanacho, Kieran Tierney, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty and Daizen Maeda during a break in play at Hampden as they try to sort out the tactics.

“There is a large part of the Celtic fanbase, and I can’t put a figure on it, but a lot of sensible-minded Celtic people I know are saying: ‘Enough is enough, you need to make the change now’.

“I find that remarkable. I don’t think it’s fair. I think the guy needs a window – and he needs time.”

Sutton believes Nancy has made a monumental error in attempting to make drastic changes and implement his back-three system which clearly has not worked on the evidence of his first three outings.

The one-time England international striker added: “I would have slowly drip-fed it to players and maybe made a change. It must have been part of the talks that he has said: ‘I am going to come in and do it my way’.

“In many ways, it was a massive gamble and it hasn’t paid off.

“He needs to win against Dundee United, people shouldn’t be sacked after three games, four games, five games. But what always goes against Celtic and Rangers managers is when fans turn in their numbers, when the whole stadium is against the appointment, it’s the end.”