Defiant Wilfried Nancy tells Celtic he would have won the league as flop boss scoffs at ‘failure’ tag
Nancy lasted just eight games after arriving from Columbus Crew, before Martin O’Neill saved the Hoops’ season
Flop boss Wilfried Nancy believes he could have steered Celtic to the Scottish title after watching the Premiership triumph from afar.
The Frenchman holds the shortest tenure of any permanent boss in the club’s history after his disastrous eight-game stint at Celtic Park.
The 48-year-old lost to Hearts, Roma, and the Premier Sports Cup Final against St Mirren in his first week, before defeat at Dundee United followed.
A 3-1 humbling at the hands of Rangers on home turf proved to be the final straw for the Parkhead board – with Nancy leaving the role with just two wins to his name.
Dermot Desmond sent an SOS to Martin O’Neill for a second time in the campaign after the ex Columbus Crew gaffer was shown the door.
The iconic 74-year-old would get struggling Celtic back on track, and claim a Premiership and Scottish Cup double.
Speaking to RMC’s After Foot, host Gilbert Brisbois joked to Nancy about Celtic’s triumph: “So Wilfried Nancy is the Scottish champion?”
Nancy was coy, laughing: “I can see it that way, but I don’t know if other people can see it that way!”
He then opened up on his disappointing tenure in Scotland – admitting his initial objective from the Hoops’ decision-makers to “modernise” the club was quickly binned.
He said: “They contacted me for a very specific mandate, but sometimes, football is irrational. So it didn’t last long.
“The idea was to modernise the club and to bring something new. But then, they had a culture which is quite ingrained there.
“So that was an experience for me. I learned a lot about human beings and cultures. So there you have it, but it was a good experience for me. Now, the idea is to wait for the next project.”
Despite winning just two games at Celtic, he also batted away suggestions he was a flop: “For me, it wasn’t a failure. It would have been a failure, for example, if I had been fired after six months. But the idea was to put things in place.
“In terms of performance, it was interesting. We were third at the time, we were still in the running to be champions.
“So there you have it. When you bring in a bit of something, when you try to modernise, sometimes there’s a bit of, let’s say, fear.
“But there was also a lot of stress in terms of the pressure at the club, and what has been happening there for years.
“So, once again: it was a great experience, but I actually would’ve liked to have had more time, because I think we would’ve done something good.”
When the title win was brought up again, Nancy insisted that given time he could have led the club to the same success: “That’s why I think we could’ve done it.”
Nancy also noted that he was keen to return to the dugout – singling out Ligue 1 as a potential destination, having previously been linked to the Lorient hot seat: “I am confident in my work, but I am also humble because things can move very quickly in football.
“It’s true that, in the past three years, there’s been no reason to complain because French clubs wanted to work with me. It is a question of timing, and the timing wasn’t right at the time.
“Now, I want to come to Ligue 1, if there is an opportunity. I am not the one who decides, but I am ready.”
