Celtic: Martin O’Neill ‘would have happily stayed’ as interim manager, but what’s wrong with Wilfried Nancy? | Football news
Martin O’Neill insists he “would have happily stayed” as Celtic’s caretaker manager for the League Cup final, which ended in defeat under new boss Wilfried Nancy.
The 73-year-old returned to Celtic Park following the resignation of Brendan Rodgers and has won seven of his eight matches in charge.
That run included a League Cup semi-final win over Rangers, a 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League and five wins from five in the Scottish Premiership, which saw Celtic draw level with leaders Hearts, with a game in hand.
However, since taking over on a two-and-a-half year deal, former Columbus Crew boss Nancy has lost in all three competitions, including a League Cup final defeat to St Mirren and a home defeat to top-of-the-table Hearts.
O’Neill also revealed he had a “10 or 15 minute conversation” with “very affable, very nice” Nancy after handing over.
Asked if he wanted to take Celtic to Sunday’s League Cup final at Hampden Park, O’Neill “wasn’t a driving force” for him.
“If they had asked me to stay, I would have,” he said. TalkSport. “But the minute they said no, ‘look, it’s your time,’ I’m fine with it.
“I took the job, Dermot (Desmond) said to me ‘you could stay there for two weeks or two months – we’re looking for someone’ – which is absolutely true. And that they would be looking for someone younger.
“My job was to hold down the fort for a while, but when you get going, you really enjoy it. We like winning the games.”
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He continued: “Beating Rangers in the semi-final gave us a chance to get to the final. Finals are always difficult, but in the end, if the board had said ‘we still have visa issues and things like that’, I would have been happy to stay, whatever that game was, my last game. But that wasn’t a driving force from my point of view.”
The start of three successive defeats for Nancy, before their visit to Dundee United on Wednesday, live on Sky Sportsis the worst start to a Celtic manager’s era.
However, O’Neill believes the Frenchman should be given time to get things right in Glasgow and has opened up about his conversations with Nancy.
“The board asked me if I wanted to stay and speak to the new manager. My last game was on Wednesday night against Dundee. I would have flown to London on Thursday anyway, but I stayed later and met the new manager.
“Very affable, very nice. It’s only a 10 or 15 minute conversation.
“He has his own philosophy and his own perspective on the game, and that’s totally fine, but I wasn’t going to come and give him advice.
“I would have conveyed whatever the new manager wanted to hear from me. It’s as simple as that.”
Nancy asks Celtic fans to ‘trust’ her
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Nancy reflects on Celtic’s League Cup final defeat to St Mirren and what it means for her team’s season
Celtic’s defeat to St Mirren is already leading some fans to question his appointment as Rodgers’ permanent successor. However, the 48-year-old is adamant he will succeed.
“I tell them I want to do better, that’s for sure. But I ask them not to be patient but to trust what I’m going to say because I see what we’re trying to do,” he said after the Hampden defeat.
“What I mean is I see something good but it’s not enough. We can’t be consistent.
“I can understand the fans. It’s completely normal. I can ask the fans to believe in me and believe that I can do things, but that’s not my job. I have to act instead of talking.”
Sutton: Nancy doesn’t have a team capable of making changes
Wilfried Nancy lost his first three games as Celtic manager
Nancy immediately changed Celtic’s formation, opting to use his three favored defenders since taking charge.
However, Sky Sports’ Chris Sutton claims his former club’s squad are not good enough to adapt to what he wants.
He said: “I sympathize with Wilfried Nancy. He is trying to establish a style, but his problem is that he has overestimated the level of players at the club at the moment.
“Playing the way he wants requires tactical intelligence, flexibility and good decision-making, which this group of players lacks.”
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Highlights as Nancy lost first game as Celtic manager at home to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts
Nancy was asked if his players were having trouble handling change, but he doesn’t think that’s the case.
“No, not at all. To be honest with you, we had a very good performance in the first half against Hearts, in the second half against Roma and in the first half today,” added the former Columbus Crew and CF Montreal coach.
“I question everything. That’s my job. Here, in the past, etc., it’s our job to try to find solutions.
“I didn’t see it like that. The structure we had was really interesting. We were able to come out, get through the middle and we were able to attack the box.
“For me it’s about taking care of the ball and that’s the only way to maximize our chances of doing better.”
Celtic’s next matches
- Dundee Utd (A) – Scottish Premiership – Wednesday – live on Sky Sports
- Aberdeen (H) – Scottish Premiership – December 21
- Livingston (A) – Scottish Premiership – December 27 – live on Sky Sports
- Motherwell (A) – Scottish Premiership – December 30
- Rangers (H) – Scottish Premiership – January 3 – live on Sky Sports
