FORMER Celtic striker Chris Sutton reckons it’s “utter madness” to suggest under-pressure Wilfried Nancy should be axed if the Hoops lose to St Mirren in tomorrow’s Premier Sports League Cup Final at Hampden.
The Frenchman took charge of the team for the first time against Hearts at Parkhead last weekend and saw the champions topple to a 2-1 loss in the top-of-the-table confrontation.
And there was disappointment again in the east end of Glasgow on Thursday night as Serie A cracks AS Roma romped to a 3-0 Europa League triumph.
Now Nancy is back in the spotlight again at the national stadium as the first piece of silverware is up for grabs.
The team, with Brendan Rodgers in charge, lifted the trophy a year ago after a dramatic penalty-kick shoot-out success over Philippe Clement’s Ibrox outfit following a 3-3 extra-time stalemate.
There are some observers claiming victory is an absolute must for the former Columbus Crew head coach, but Sutton insisted: “There have been some wild takes about Wilfried Nancy after a difficult first week in the job.
“I’ve even seen some fans suggesting if the League Cup Final doesn’t go Celtic’s way he should be SACKED.
“It’s utter madness.
“Don’t get me wrong. Nancy badly needs to get up and running and he really has to get his hands on the first trophy of the season. But to suggest he should be emptied if it goes St Mirren’s way is just ridiculous.
“Even if the unthinkable happens at Hampden – Nancy still needs to be given time.
“I feel sorry for the Frenchman in a lot of ways. He’s come in at a horrible stage of the season and he’s got a squad that has been severely hampered by injuries and a lack of quality in key areas.
“Yes, my old boss Martin O’Neill managed to string some results together, but the performances were not always great and there was always going to be a time when that came back to bite them.
“The Hearts defeat could have happened on his watch. Likewise, Celtic could – and probably would – have lost to Roma whether it was Nancy, O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers, Ange Postecoglou or anyone else in charge.”
Sutton, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “Nancy is getting battered right now, but the Europa League defeat wasn’t down to formation – it was down to personnel.
“Roma were levels above across every part of the pitch. And you look at this Celtic team to the one that last faced a Gian Piero Gasperini side – in the 0-0 Champions League draw at Atalanta last season – and it’s clear they have dropped down several levels.
“When you look at what Nancy has at his disposal, results like Thursday are inevitable.
“How do we know that? Because we saw it against Midtjylland in Denmark when they could have been five down by half-time.
“It was a similar story – and Roma are a cut above Midtjylland.
“This is not making excuses for anyone, but you look at who was missing for a start.
“Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alastair Johnston, Jota and Marcelo Saracchi would all likely start if they were fit. In fact, Johnston and Saracchi would be far better equipped to play in the wing back roles than Yang and Sebastian Tounekti.
“They don’t look cut out for it and I also wasn’t sure about Reo Hatate playing in a deeper role against Roma either, given he can give the ball away at times and he had been so effective just off the front in recent weeks.
“All of these issues are even before you look at what was lost in January though. Kyogo, Nicolas Kuhn and probably even Adam Idah would all have been involved against the Italians.
“That’s about seven players from the starting XI – and they’d still be up against it.”
The one-time England international striker added: “Stephen Robinson was in the stands at Celtic Park on Thursday and he must have been rubbing his hands.
“There are vulnerabilities in this side and if there’s anyone who can target them, it’s the St Mirren manager.
“Robinson will have seen the holes and noticed the weaknesses, especially at set-pieces, and he’ll feel he can exploit them. St Mirren have pushed Celtic all the way in the last few meetings and it’s taken late goals each time.
“Celtic barely had a shot on goal at Paisley until Callum McGregor bailed them out a few weeks ago.
“St Mirren will fancy their chances and it says a lot about the current situation that Celtic fans are really worried.
“Maybe they are right to be. But that doesn’t mean Nancy’s bags should be packed if it goes awry.
“There are major problems with the team and while he desperately needs a win – he also desperately needs a window.
“There are plenty of reasons Celtic are struggling right now and the majority have nothing to do with the manager.”
Hampden will not be a place for the fainthearted tomorrow.
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