“I don’t think he quite knows what he’s walked into.”
Joe Hart probably didn’t intend it as a direct swipe at Wilfried Nancy, but the concern in the former Celtic goalkeeper’s voice was hard to miss. Just eight days into his reign, the Frenchman has lost his first two matches in charge – something no Celtic manager had ever done before.
A tame 3-0 Europa League collapse away to Roma followed a home defeat to league leaders Hearts. For a club where winning is demanded, not requested, the alarm bells are ringing loudly ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final against St Mirren.
Nancy, parachuted in from MLS side Columbus Crew with no previous experience managing in Europe, cut a calm figure afterwards. He spoke about “good things” he had seen in the second half against a Roma side that never needed top gear.
For Hart, and many Celtic supporters, that was almost more worrying than the result itself.
Hart: “He doesn’t understand yet how big this is”
Speaking on TNT Sports, Hart – who spent three seasons at Celtic before leaving in 2024 – tried to explain the reality of the club Nancy has just taken over.
“It’s not his fault that he doesn’t understand,” Hart said. “I didn’t walk in and just understand what it was to be Celtic. They expect you to win.
“Wilfried Nancy needs the people who appointed him to be in his ear. Not just talking tactics, but telling him how important Sunday is.”
The imagery around the Roma game only heightened the sense of disconnect. As the players emerged to a packed Celtic Park and You’ll Never Walk Alone soared around the stadium, the cameras panned to Nancy under spinning disco lights installed specifically for European nights.
Celtic Park has always been billed as a “special place” on such occasions, but the mood has turned sour. Long before Nancy arrived, the club was already fractured: a turbulent summer of poor recruitment, another Champions League disappointment and Brendan Rodgers’ acrimonious exit left deep scars.
Martin O’Neill’s short interim stint stabilised results – seven wins in eight – and briefly lifted the mood. But by the time Roma had a fourth goal ruled out on Thursday, large sections of the support had already trudged away. For many, enough was enough.
“It breaks my heart to see Celtic Park like this,” Hart admitted. “The atmosphere just isn’t there. This is such a special football club, but it’s only special when it’s united.
“It’s not easy for a new manager and a new system, but it’s not rocket science – and Nancy’s got to learn quickly.”
Tactical gamble backfires as Roma cruise
On the pitch, Roma were ruthless without needing to be spectacular. Celtic’s players and pundits alike acknowledged that the performance simply wasn’t good enough.
“It wasn’t good enough, especially first half,” said midfielder Arne Engels, who missed a first-half penalty. “We lost too many duels and gave away too many sloppy balls.
“We know we can do better and hopefully we move on because we have a final in a few days. We need to keep our heads high. It’s up to us to react.”
Nancy, meanwhile, rolled the dice tactically. He shifted to an unfamiliar back three against Hearts and then stuck with the same setup and starting XI against Roma. The result was a chaotic first 45 minutes in which Celtic conceded three dreadful goals before the manager could even reach the dressing room to adjust.
At half-time he made sweeping changes, taking off Kieran Tierney, Benjamin Nygren and Daizen Maeda. Even so, Roma controlled the tie and rarely looked in trouble.
Yet Nancy insisted he saw enough to stay optimistic.
“The reality is we were not able to cope with the intensity,” he told TNT Sports. “The first half was difficult, we were not able to come out of the pressure, but the second half was better.
“I cannot say the players didn’t try – they tried. I’m not concerned, I really liked the reaction. They deserved at least one goal and then the dynamic could change.
“The result isn’t what we want but I’ve seen good things. It’s difficult because my players deserve a bit more, the belief in the group is really strong.”
“It’s all about winning” – and Sunday is huge
Inside the stadium, the reaction to Nancy’s positivity was lukewarm at best.
Former Scotland forward James McFadden said “it was a cruise for Roma in the end”, while ex-Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner concluded that “the only thing Celtic can do now is try to save face” in the closing stages.
But it was former Celtic centre-back and assistant manager Johan Mjällby who perhaps captured the mood most clearly.
“It’s all about winning and he needs to understand that,” Mjällby warned. “If Celtic don’t win on Sunday… uh oh.”
Two games, two defeats, seven goals conceded, and a fanbase already on edge. Nancy may talk about “good things”, but at Celtic there is little patience for learning curves. The League Cup final against St Mirren now feels less like an early chance at silverware and more like a crossroads.
If he didn’t fully know what he had walked into before, he will certainly know it by Sunday night.
