It feels like a lifetime ago that Wilfried Nancy was in charge of Celtic. It was a very tough period in an already difficult season, and it took a second Martin O'Neill return for the ship to be steadied.
Although we had to endure it, one player who missed out on it was Alistair Johnston. The Canadian was injured throughout his 33-day tenure but backed the manager when he was appointed.
He said: "Hopefully, we will be able to do a lot of winning and also play some beautiful football because that's what Wilfried's system is all about."
Now, Johnston admits that he felt for his former gaffer when Nancy was shown the door after just eight games in charge.
Speaking to RecordSport, he said: "I really felt that I let him down to the degree that I couldn’t be out there on the pitch to help really show the lads what he wanted on the grass, in training and ideally in the matches.
"Look, he is still a good coach. It just wasn’t a perfect fit. The timing was unbelievably difficult, and I think he would be the first one to admit that.
"But at the end of the day, I think the buck stops with the players."
Wrong time for Nancy, but Celtic can still salvage the title
The losses that Nancy suffered during his time in Glasgow have really affected the title race. Celtic are now in a three-way battle for the trophy, and it's up in the air who will get their hands on it next month.
It was simply the wrong time for Nancy to take charge at Celtic. If he had a full transfer window and the chance to establish his system in pre-season, maybe he would have enjoyed a better spell at Parkhead, but it was never going to work out under the circumstances.
Whether the Hoops can salvage the title or not, there will be a new manager in the hot seat at the start of next season, with Martin O'Neill set to depart the club. No one knows who is going to take over yet, but Robbie Keane and Jens Berthel Askou lead the race.
A massive summer exodus will be needed, and Johnston will be one of the players whom we need to ensure stay. He is always a brilliant option, and he doesn't seem likely to leave, but you never know with football.
Add us as a preferred source on Google