The Celtic manager search has taken another intriguing turn. Three weeks on from Brendan Rodgers’ departure, the club’s hunt for a permanent successor is edging towards a conclusion, with respected journalist Stephen McGowan now firmly pointing to Wilfried Nancy as the likely appointment.
Speaking on Graham Spiers’ podcast on Sunday evening, McGowan said: “As far as I’m led to believe, the new coach will be Wilfried Nancy unless something has happened to undermine that.” It is the clearest indication yet that the Columbus Crew boss is the man Celtic want to lead the team, following the initial flurry of reports.
Supporters have been asking why the delay continues. On Sunday night, Andrew Smith of Celtic Underground shared what he had been told about the holdup, and it paints a potentially revealing picture. “So I don’t think Martin [O’Neill] has any desire to be there one second longer than is necessary.
“And what we’ve heard is that once it tips into December the 1st, if you notice that Columbus Crew have said that their general manager has said there’s been no contact with Celtic, because apparently on December the 1st, who knows if this is true, the compensation package for Wilfried Nancy drops, and drops a quantum.”
Smith stressed he cannot fully confirm the details. Even so, the explanation would account for the slow pace and aligns with Columbus Crew’s insistence that no formal approach has been made. If accurate, an announcement in the first days of December looks realistic.
And let’s face it, if this were true, it would be the most Celtic thing to do while pursuing a full-time manager. There was no update at the AGM, after it descended into a farce.
Celtic Nancy Waiting Game
In the meantime, Martin O’Neill continues to steady the ship. His side pulled off a dramatic late win at St Mirren on Saturday night, with Callum McGregor’s stunning injury-time strike trimming Hearts’ lead at the top to four points. Hearts’ defeat to Aberdeen on Sunday tightened things further.
The Hoops also have a game in hand, giving any incoming manager the immediate chance to put the club back on top of the Scottish Premiership, if Celtic can stay the course.
The performances remain patchy, but the results have kept Celtic within striking distance. If the hierarchy have settled on Nancy, he is about to inherit a big challenge, Celtic are close enough to seize control of the title race with a strong winter run and a manager who can make an instant impact.
Not to mention the cup final midway through December. Whoever lands the position will see games come thick and fast and have the opportunity to gain real momentum if they get things right.
The wait goes on, but the path ahead feels a little clearer after a lull in information about Nancy. December 1st could be the date that finally unlocks Celtic’s managerial future. After that, it could be all about what the club does in the January transfer window, which will ultimately shape the season.
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8 responses
So the 4th or 5th or maybe 6th choice option. The cheap option, after all others told Desmond & Co , to sling their hook. Won’t be here until sometime in December, because although he’s the cheap option he gets even cheaper (maybe) sometime in December. At which point he has a couple of games over a few weeks to assess current squad, identify areas to strengthen and be told in the January window, by our ambitionless board, what cheap options, free transfers, or loans may be available for him to add to the squad. Yep! A club like no other! Definitely.
Naa! Very much a non storie that huz sprouted legs and a head
Better chance of convincing St Brendan back.
Naebudye mentions Stevo Robinson of St Helen Mirren ?????
Ah wonder why???? Or Jimmie Theremin at Flossie tha sheep Central.
Or Neil Lennon tha prodigal son ???????
Don’t necessarily think it’s the cheap option. I suppose you’re not buying anything in the Black Friday sales?? If it’s cheaper to wait another week or so, why not take advantage? That’s just good business. Celtic will spend in January, if for nothing other than to stick two fingers up to Brendan and the baying mobs. Despite what a few Rangers leaning so called ‘MLS experts’ say, Nancy could be the X factor we need to mix it at a higher level, in the same way picking up young players before selling for millions more, Nancy could be our manager version of that! Just because he not widely known or cheaper doesn’t mean he’s bad, Messi, Ronaldo and the likes, you’d never heard of them at one point!
I agree with Ellbee
We might know more if the board weren’t shouted down by a minority at the AGM.
The protests were clearly pre meditated. Yet as soon as Desmond Jnr says something they don’t like they’re shouting and screaming like spoilt weans.
As usual the Jeanette Findlay fan club can dish it out but can’t take it.
And a hostile pro rangers media keep getting all the material they need.
Last Friday’s protesters should take their own advice and “look in the mirror”…
Maybe the only thing premeditated was the suspending of the AGM.Very convenient for the board don’t you think. No mirror required.
M Steele, If we look objectively at what has been happening recently – never mind the fact that the incompetent Board let Kyogo and Kuhn leave without replacing them and made a total horlicks of recent transfer windows, thus weakening the team instead of capitalizing on the success of the previous season.
1. Following the Club announcing the manager’s resignation and thanking him for his service, a non-executive member of the Board, who rarely if ever attends meetings or games (albeit one who own 34.7% of shares in the club), is permitted to take over the club information site to publish an unprecedented, personal, rant about the ex-manager, thus undermining the previous club statement and making the club a laughing stock.
2. The same absentee’s son is permitted, wholly inappropriately, to use the AGM to read a statement, apparently again prepared by the same individual, villifying and insulting supporters/shareholders who are expected to sit quietly and take it.
3. The non-executive Chairman, instead of being mature, sensible and diplomatic, is not only complicit in allowing such a statement to be read out, loses his head and arrogantly ‘orders’ protesting supporters to ‘behave’.
4. The CEO who really should have shown his authority and prevented the unprecedented statements from being associated with the Board/Club, instead demonstrates that he is nothing but a toothless puppet of said non-exective Chairman and absentee Board member.
5. The supporters’ protest at the start of the AGM was perfectly legitimate, if a bit over the top but could easily have been handled by a competent Chairman using common sense, a level head and the diplomacy normally associated with such a position. The reaction of supporters to being vilified and insuited was perfectly understandable and the blame lies fairly and squarely with an incompetent, arrogant, Chairman; toothless, puppets of a CEO and other Board members; and an out-of-control, non-executive member of the Board who owns 34.7% of shares in the club but does not ‘own’ the club, though is allowed by toothless puppets on the Board, to act as if he does.
Nothing to say to that M Steel.? JUST ASKING!!