Chris Sutton has claimed Wilfried Nancy’s methods are not working at Celtic, describing them as a “third-place team” as they slumped to four successive defeats against Dundee United.
The result means the Hoops are in their worst form since 1978 and have increased pressure for Nancy to be replaced despite being appointed as Brendan Rodgers’ successor just two weeks ago.
Despite his sympathy for Nancy’s circumstances, which saw chairman Peter Lawwell step down from the club’s board due to “abuse and threats”, Sutton admitted the Frenchman’s methods were not having the desired impact.
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Highlights from the Scottish Premiership match between Dundee United and Celtic
“I have great sympathy for him,” Sutton said. “Celtic are not in pre-season and if Nancy had had the whole pre-season you would have seen things unfold differently.
“He doesn’t have it. He’s saying he doesn’t have time, so it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get this side going.
“The confidence of certain players has dropped since Martin O’Neill left. The bottom line after this has been the case with Celtic and throughout the season is that it’s not working.”
“He needs to get his team to perform and give the fan base some faith. Sunday will be really interesting, the atmosphere inside Celtic Park and how it goes.
“Celtic have to win the league this season to qualify for the Champions League and that is the be all and end all.
“The difference between Glasgow football and every other football is that once the fan base turns on the manager, that’s it and I don’t know if we’ve gone too far. “That’s the problem for Nancy and that’s what will be fascinating on Sunday (at home to Aberdeen).
“I think he should have come in and taken care of the situation. I don’t think he necessarily would have done that. He came in and said, ‘I’m going to be the coach and do it my way.’”
Johnny Kenny was one of several players who missed crucial chances for Celtic.
“Well, at this moment Wilf’s way isn’t working and that’s the problem.
“I think Nancy has what it takes to be a coach. You see the rotations and 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 and I have mine’. We’ve lost four games on the spin, so his ways don’t work.”
‘O’Neill has worked a miracle – Celtic are third-placed team’
Fans at Tannadice Park chanted for O’Neill after Celtic fell behind and Sutton said the interim manager had worked miracles while destroying the state of the current squad.
“Martin has done unbelievably well. He has come forward and said he needs signings in January and he knows Celtic are ignoring that.
“He has produced a miracle. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this Celtic team is a good team. They are average and with key players missing, January will be key. This Celtic team looks like a top three team.
“We can’t get past the fact that Celtic are so bad in certain areas and they need to improve that. The only way to do that is through recruitment and that’s not Nancy. He inherited this squad and it hasn’t been a good squad all season.”
“Martin said his team had been struggling to address the rifts and win the game but found a way. What he did with that group of players was unbelievable. But he wasn’t fooled by that. He knew it wasn’t up to par.
“Nancy should have come in and gotten off to a good start and he hasn’t done that. There are fans who have lost faith in Nancy after three games and are thinking, ‘Is that fair after three games?’”
Nancy: ‘I know the fans are upset but Celtic are moving in the right direction’
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Celtic manager Wilfrid Nancy believes his side are heading in the right direction despite losing their fourth game in a row with a 2-1 loss to Dundee United.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Nancy admitted she could understand the fans’ frustration after being booed by the away fans.
But he insisted things were moving in the right direction.
“I know they’re angry, but we were close to winning. We can’t do that now.”
“But the players are doing their best, we are trying to find solutions and there are many situations where goals can be scored.
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Celtic’s Daizen Maeda missed a golden opportunity to equalize in their 2-1 loss to Dundee United.
“Listen, we knew the situation before we came here. It was about seeing what we could do, and the plan is not changing.”
“We’re looking ahead on that, and then we’ll see what we do with the windows.
“The most important thing right now is to have some possibility of going back to work.
“We’ve played so many days in a row that we don’t have enough time. That’s all I can do at the moment.
“We are on the right track, but this is not enough. I know that. We all want to win, but I feel confident every time I see the games we play and the progress we make.”
‘It will take time’ – Nancy receives support from Celtic CEO
Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson (centre) said he fully supported Nancy.
Celtic Michael Nicholson CEO Despite the “challenging” start, he insisted he was completely behind coach Wilfried Nancy.
After taking charge on a two-and-a-half year contract, the former Columbus Crew boss has now lost all four games he has been in charge of.
Nicholson insisted he understands supporters’ “frustration” but is fully behind him and revealed after this week’s meeting that plans for the January and summer transfer windows are now underway.
Asked before Celtic’s defeat at Dundee United how determined he was to chase down Nancy, he said: Celtic TV: “Yes, very firmly. It has been less than two weeks since we spoke with Wilfried about his appointment.
“It’s never been an easy time to start at Celtic and it’s been difficult, especially on Sunday when we got a disappointing result.”
St Mirren shocked Celtic by winning the League Cup.
“In that respect, I understand that Celtic supporters are concerned about where we are. I understand and respect the right of all supporters to express their complaints and share them with us.
“But we know step by step where we want to go. Our job is to support Wilfried, his team and the squad to get us where we want to go.
“I met with Wilfried this week to discuss recruitment ahead of the January transfer window and the summer transfer window as well, because I know we have a project to support here and I’m excited to see where it takes us.
“Like I said, not only will it take time from day to day within the training environment, but it will also take time from window to window each month.
“We know that if we achieve success this season and reach that stage in the summer, we will look to next season with great optimism alongside Wilfried and his team.”
