Pat Nevin has thrown fresh doubt over Wilfried Nancy’s chances of landing the Celtic job, questioning whether the Columbus Crew boss has the track record the club usually looks for.
The club are still operating with Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney in interim charge while the board assess long-term options. Nancy remains heavily linked, but reaction has been mixed, particularly with supporters anxious for a quick return to a high-intensity style after Brendan Rodgers’ departure.
Nevin’s view adds another layer to the discussion. The former Scotland winger admires Nancy’s qualities but doesn’t see the leap to Glasgow as a natural step. It comes at a time when some supporters continue to wonder whether the door is still open for Ange Postecoglou, even if signs point towards that being unlikely.
He said: (RecordSport), “I would be staggered if Wilfried Nancy got the Celtic job. It’s not because of inability, it’s just that his style is interesting. Remember, Celtic took Ange Postecoglou because of his style, and it fitted with Celtic’s style and the ethos of the club.
“Ange had been very, very successful in other places, Australia, Japan, etc. Don’t knock the Japanese league, either.
“But Nancy, I think he has to do a bit more before he gets the Celtic job in terms of bigger jobs. And that’s not against him, he’s a new, young manager. If he gets it, good luck to him.
“But it’s not something that Celtic would normally do. It really isn’t. All the others are the kind of leading names that we keep on hearing, although we don’t hear Ange’s name much at the moment, do we? And there’s a hell of a lot of Celtic fans that would take him back in a millisecond.”
Nevin’s point cuts right into the main argument. Celtic have jumped between different types of managers in recent years, sometimes going for pure style, other times for experience. Nancy has done well in MLS, but Nevin is echoing the feeling that moving straight to Celtic could be a big step for him right now.
History matters in these calls. Celtic usually lean towards managers who’ve worked in Europe or handled pressure at a high level. Nancy’s career is moving quickly, but he’s still new to the top end of the game, and that might work against him.
The real decision for the club is whether they want a steady, proven option or another bold appointment. Nevin’s view hints that Celtic may look for someone established instead of taking a risk on a coach still rising.
What’s certain is the process isn’t close to finished. Celtic know this choice shapes everything that follows, and Nevin’s comments show how much attention and pressure comes with making the right call.
As soon as Kevin’s comes out with his similarly ignorant bullsh!t Celtic should pull the trigger on Nancy… These are guys whose ignorance of anything outside the Old Firm/EPL myth is staggering and should automatically disqualify them from any semblance of discussion on CFC
*Keevins
Also, please stick to talking about your own club (Hibs) Rat
Champagne socialist Nevin knows the square-root of fk all about Celtic. This poseur is simply trying to keep himself relevant…with not much success, I may add.
Hail Hail.
No point in a high intensity manager as we would need to spend big on players and recent history shows the board aren’t going to do that.
Find someone who can work with what we have at the moment with a few quality additions.
The complainers will quiet down when we get results, particularly in Europe.
I feel dirty for suggesting the name but McInnes did well at Aberdeen and now Hearts with average players.
Imagine what he could do with slightly higher level of players.
Besides it would annoy the Huns to no end if one of their own was battering them 5 or 6 times a season.