Celtic sack manager Wilfried Nancy after eight games and only 32 days. “It hasn’t gone well by the standards of the reigning Scottish champions this season. Heart of Midlothian FC leads the Premiership by a wide margin with Celtic in second place and Rangers in third.
Wilfried Nancy asked for more time over Christmas, but after the weekend’s loss to arch-rival Rangers, his patience was at an end. – More time was completely out of the question for Celtic’s board.
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Celtic have said goodbye to manager Wilfried Nancy, with Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers at home at Celtic Park being his sixth defeat in just eight games, and his 32-day spell is the shortest in the club’s history.
The 48-year-old signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Scottish champions after the end of the Major League Soccer season with the Columbus Crew and took over the charge as late as December 4.
But after winning seven out of eight games under interim manager Martin O’Neill, Celtic’s form dropped dramatically under Nancy.
He became the first Celtic manager to lose his first two games as manager, before suffering a 3–1 defeat to St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final and a 2–1 defeat away to Dundee United.
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It was the first time Celtic lost four games in a row since a similar streak under the legendary Jock Stein in 1978.
They won two league games in a row against Aberdeen and Livingston to halt their slump, but lost 2-0 away to Motherwell on Tuesday and collapsed in a weak second half at home to Rangers.
Celtic have also removed Paul Tisdale from his position as director of football operations. The former Exeter City and Stevenage manager had held the role since October 2024.
A brief club statement confirmed the resignations, along with Nancy’s coaches Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen and Maxime Chalier, adding that a “further update will be provided to supporters as soon as practicable.”
O’Neill was temporarily in charge after Brendan Rodgers, who was appointed manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah last month, resigned in October.
Having previously managed MLS rival Montreal, Nancy led Columbus to the MLS Cup in 2023 and then the Leagues Cup – a competition between Mexican and American teams, while finishing second in the league.
But after being named MLS Manager of the Year for 2024, his team slipped to seventh place in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall last year.
Since leaving Celtic, Nancy has only had five wins in his last 20 games as manager.
