Within the 5 weeks between Brendan Rodgers leaving Celtic and Wilfried Nancy arriving, supporters pored over each element of the Frenchman’s time in cost at Columbus Crew.
There have been the notable headline feats – the MLS Cup in 2023, the Leagues Cup the next yr in addition to the coveted Coach of the 12 months Award.
There was a fund of testimonies from former gamers subscribing to the view that Nancy was the actual deal – forward of his time in his discipline and a real folks’s individual.
Past that, there have been some good strains from the person himself. Braveness being the one advantage in life. By no means seeing his aspect as an underdog even when they had been enjoying Actual Madrid. The zinger about not possible being an opinion. All very inspiring and charismatic.
By the point the Frenchman left his seat within the press room at Fir Park the opposite night time, nevertheless, you might have been forgiving for questioning if Celtic had merely obtained the mistaken man.
A fifth defeat in seven video games for Nancy got here on account of arguably essentially the most insipid show a staff in inexperienced and white had produced in a era.
Beneath-fire Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy struck a defiant tone at his press convention on Friday
The supervisor appeared like a defeated man after this week’s 2-0 defeat at Motherwell
The Frenchman regained a few of his composure in entrance of the Press, nevertheless, as he defended his appointment
A grave state of affairs demanded critical phrases from the supervisor, however his utterances made you surprise if he grasped what had simply unfolded. ‘It’s not a shock,’ he stated. ‘I do know the place we’re.’
For a lot of observers, this defeatist perspective signalled the purpose of no return. If the supervisor had so little religion in his aspect, how might they presumably carry out to the requisite stage? Give Nancy this a lot. Three days on from trying like a overwhelmed man, he at the least got here out swinging yesterday.
Requested if the arrival of Julian Araujo was a sign that the board would give him the gamers he wanted on this window, he laid all of it on the road in a seven-minute monologue which resulted in additional raised eyebrows than a conference of plastic surgeons.
‘It’s step-by-step as you possibly can think about,’ he stated. ‘I do know that you simply do your job (media) and your job is to assault me and ask me plenty of questions. I’ve no drawback with that. That is your job. My job is to be the coach.
‘I’m happy to be right here. I do know the place we at the moment are – that’s why I stated what I stated concerning the Motherwell sport.
‘I’m not an underdog, I would like my staff to compete in opposition to any staff, I repeat, any staff.
‘However, with the context, I knew that this type of state of affairs might occur.’
This final remark from Nancy referred to being thrown head-long right into a marketing campaign with out the required time for his strategies to take root.
Nancy’s Celtic staff had been outplayed and outpassed by Motherwell at Fir Park this week
Nancy reminded reporters that he has arrived mid-season and pleaded for extra time
‘If you happen to do your job, you’re going to have the ability to see what I did previously,’ he added.
‘And the way in which I play, what I wish to do, the way in which I wish to defend, the way in which I wish to assault, it’s clear.
‘Clearly, folks and followers aren’t blissful. And me, too, I’m not blissful, as a result of I see only some glimpses of what I wish to do.
‘However I’m happy with that, too, as a result of that is solely 12 or 13 classes that we did. That is the context. Often, we have now 4 weeks of pre-season.
‘So, it’s completely regular that you simply guys kill me. I’m completely positive with that as a result of I do know the place I wish to go.’
Nancy wouldn’t be pinned down on when precisely supporters might anticipate to see him arrive at this vacation spot.
‘If you wish to decide me now, then you are able to do it, as a result of it’s indisputable fact that I didn’t, and we didn’t, have the outcomes that we needed. I can not deny that.
‘New gamers take a little bit of time. And we have now gamers who’ve been right here for 5, six, seven years doing sure issues in a sure means. No kidding that it takes time.
His Celtic gamers appeared completely confused and in disarray as they had been overwhelmed by Motherwell
Celtic’s gamers can barely look as Motherwell have fun a convincing victory at Fir Park
‘I’m going to be a liar if I say that every part is blissful, every part is nice. No. It isn’t the case. I knew that earlier than, as a result of that is a part of my job.
‘So, that’s the reason I’m calm relating to all of the questions that you simply ask me. I’m not happy to listen to that individuals don’t like me and so forth. What am I going to say? They’ve a proper to say it as a result of, by way of outcomes, this isn’t what we wish.
‘However, in the event you do your job, you possibly can see what I do. And if you’re affected person, and I do know that you simply can’t be affected person on this job, then you’re going to have the ability to see what I can do. Not I, my staff and my gamers.
‘However, for the second, it is a twister. I knew that. Is it straightforward to deal with that? No. However I’m prepared for that.
‘So, that is my message for everybody. Followers, you guys, all of the folks, that is the truth. And we knew that earlier than with the board after I got here.
‘It’s completely regular that my gamers want a little bit of time. It’s completely regular that my gamers might be confused in sure moments, as a result of it’s a course of.’
A few of this sounded pretty affordable. But when Martin O’Neill might discover a means of profitable seven video games out of eight in interim cost, why has Nancy discovered the method so elusive?
Celtic have didn’t maintain a clear sheet in his seven matches – conceding no fewer than 15 objectives within the course of.
Nancy nonetheless insists that the 3-4-3 system he has imposed has not contributed to Celtic’s surprising outcomes
The Celtic defence is all at sea as Elliot Watt scores Motherwell’s second purpose
Curiously, he doesn’t regard the 3-4-3 system that he has imposed as the elemental cause.
‘I take a look in any respect the objectives that we conceded, and you’re going to inform me that is concerning the system?’ he stated.
‘The one second after we had a difficulty with the system is after we performed in opposition to Roma, the second purpose.
‘However, after that, it was not concerning the system. All the opposite objectives we conceded had been as a result of we had many gamers contained in the field and generally it was a ping pong sport in transition.’
Nancy made some legitimate factors in an awfully passionate handle, however there have been some clear contradictions. He said that he was not a ‘three-at-the-back man’ when, evidently, he’s.
In a single breath, he claimed: ‘I’m not a man with a “might have – ought to have” – solely to then current a case that his aspect haven’t had their simply deserts.
‘Decide me, no drawback,’ he said. ‘However take a look, analyse all the video games that we performed if we must always have gained or misplaced the sport. Do it! As a result of that is your job.
‘For the second, I can not discuss. I shut my mouth as a result of outcomes aren’t ok.
There’s acquainted disarray in Celtic’s backline as Ibrahim Mentioned scores the opener at Fir Park
Nancy appeared as if he had no solutions on an evening when his staff had been fully dominated
‘However I do know the place we’re going. After that, if it will work or not, I don’t know.However I do know we’re going to do every part to do it. I’m right here for that.
‘After that, sure, I wish to win each sport. Sure, I wish to win titles for Celtic. Sure, I wish to create recollections and a legacy right here. Sure, I’m going to die for this membership, for certain.’
Nancy achieved an excessive amount of in his time in Ohio to blithely dismiss him as a second-rater. He has additionally come into Celtic mid-season for a cause. With the squad insufficient and the fanbase at warfare with the board, the circumstances are hardly conducive to in a single day success.
Nonetheless, shedding to a mean Rangers aspect at lunchtime is definitely unthinkable if he’s to face any probability of lasting the course.
‘Folks have the precise to not be blissful. I perceive that,’ he stated. ‘I can not purchase time in my job. The one second to purchase time is after we win video games. I do know that. Now we have to win video games.’
