Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy has the full backing of the board despite losing their opening four games.
Pressure is mounting on the new manager after defeats to Hearts, Roma, St Mirren and Dundee United in his first 15 days, his worst run since 1978.
Nancy spoke regularly with club executives to discuss future plans and player recruitment, as well as a wide range of topics including adjusting to life in Scotland and security.
Nancy trained as usual at Lennox Town as the Hoops prepare to face Aberdeen at Celtic Park on Sunday.
Nancy joins Celtic from Columbus Crew
Sky Sports News understands that club leaders agree with Nancy’s vision for Celtic and are fully supportive of his desire to change the system immediately.
They are thought to feel they now have a better idea of whether their current squad members can fit into the new system, allowing them to focus on which areas reinforcements will be needed in the January and summer transfer windows.
This was reiterated yesterday when CEO Michael Nicholson told Celtic TV that he had spoken to Nancy about recruitment in the next two transfer windows.
In last night’s 2-1 defeat to Dundee United at Tannadice, the majority of Celtic fans shouted for Nancy to be sent off. There were also chants that “Martin O’Neill,” who took charge of the club on an interim basis following the sudden departure of Brendan Rodgers, had won seven out of eight games.
Nancy, 48, was appointed by Columbus Crew on the recommendation of Celtic’s head of football operations Paul Tisdale.
Tisdale is currently on holiday but is believed to be in close contact with club staff and working towards the January transfer window.
Sutton: “Nancy’s method doesn’t work.”
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Sky Sports pundits Chris Sutton and Chris Boyd discuss Wilfried Nancy as he begins life at Celtic after four defeats.
After Wednesday’s defeat, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton admitted he sympathized with Nancy’s position, but admitted things had not been going well for him since taking over from Martin O’Neill.
“I feel so bad for him,” Sutton said. “Celtic are not in pre-season, but if Nancy had the whole pre-season things might play out differently.
“He hasn’t been able to do that. He says he doesn’t have time, so it’s going to be incredibly difficult to move this team forward.
Nancy lost his first four games as Celtic manager
“Ever since Martin O’Neill left, the confidence of some players has gone down. The fundamental thing about Celtic is that they’re not working, as they have been all season.”
“He needs to gain confidence in the performance of the team and in the fan base. It will be really interesting to see the atmosphere inside Celtic Park on Sunday and how it goes.”
“Celtic have to win the league this season to qualify for the Champions League and that is the most important thing.
“The difference between football in Glasgow and football anywhere else is that once the fan base criticizes the manager, that’s it, but I don’t know if we’re too far from that. That’s Nancy’s problem and that’s why Sunday (home to Aberdeen) will be fascinating.”
Before the defeat to Dundee United, Sutton asked if Nancy had underestimated the task ahead.
“I think he should have come in and taken control of the situation. I don’t think he’s necessarily done that. He came in and said, ‘I’m going to be the coach and do it my way.’
“Well, Wilf’s approach isn’t working at the moment and that’s the problem.
“I think Nancy has the coaching qualities and you can see the rotation and some of his ideas…he came in and changed things.
“He said he spoke to Martin O’Neill for 15 minutes. He said before the game, ‘Martin has his way, I have mine.’ His way hasn’t worked out because we lost four games on the spin.”
“Let him cook” – Henry says his former assistant Nancy needs time.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says his former assistant Wilfried Nancy should be given time to prove himself at Celtic after a dismal start to life in Glasgow.
Nancy was Henry’s assistant at CF Montreal in 2021 before replacing the former France international.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at tonight’s 2025 Sports Personality of the Year, Henry said: “I can see people asking him to leave.
“As a coach myself, I think it’s too early to say that.
“Let him work, let him cook and maybe at the end of the season let him judge.
“The problem is that it’s difficult to come to a club and try to impose your own philosophy and identity – I don’t know because I haven’t watched many games – but you might be playing in a different way.
“It’s too early at the moment, but I think he can turn things around. He’s a great guy, he’s got a great mind.
“It’s not working well at the moment and obviously it’s not looking good. But he’s a friend of mine so I’m going to be biased.
“No coach wants to lose his job that quickly. I just don’t understand it.”
The Venn diagram that sparked a storm: “What should we pay attention to?”
Wilfried Nancy’s Venn diagram sparked huge backlash from Celtic fans on social media
Ahead of the match at Tannadice Park, Nancy appears to have updated her profile picture with an X in a Venn diagram with the captions “Things I can control” and “Things that matter”. Then, an arrow labeled “Points to note” was displayed in the center of the diagram.
The image, devoid of context, appeared to be a subtle response to noise about his future at Celtic Park, just two weeks into his tenure, where sections of the fan base are already calling for his departure.
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Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov talks about Wilfried Nancy’s winless start to Celtic and whether the new manager will be given time to turn things around.
Once fans discovered the changes to the profile, it quickly spread and the account was eventually made private.
Nancy later claimed that the photo in question had no connection to Celtic and dated back to his Columbus Crew days.
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Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy says he believes his side are heading in the right direction despite a 2-1 loss to Dundee United, extending their losing streak to four games.
“My wife wasn’t happy. To be honest, believe it or not, that profile was about Columbus,” he told BBC Sport.
“So my X photo was about Columbus and I was in the locker room in Columbus, so I just wanted to change what was on WhatsApp.
“It’s simple. So there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t want to make a simple fight like that.
“I did it because my picture was upstairs in the locker room in Columbus. So I just wanted to change what was on WhatsApp. It’s that simple.”
Dundee United’s mocking response to Nancy’s post
If Wednesday night had ended with a win, this probably would have been a flash in the pan. However, United’s remarkable second-half comeback did not help matters. Nor did their full-time celebration take place.
Dundee United mock Nancy’s social media in full-time post after win over Celtic
After the final whistle, the club’s official X account referenced Nancy’s upload and posted an image with the caption: “Focusing on the big three points.”
To make matters worse, the post mocked the Venn diagram by creating a parody diagram that included a scoreline.
