There was mainly horror and embarrassment among Celtic fans after Sunday's home defeat to Hearts. Martin O’Neill had raised confidence levels and left on a wave of good feeling from the support. The stage was set for Wilfried Nancy to make his management debut at Parkhead in the top-of-the-table clash with Derek McInnes' side.
It didn't go well, did it? A 2-1 defeat after a late consolation goal from Kieran Tierney left fans worried. The players looked somewhat out of sorts, too.
That may in part be due to the formation changes the new manager introduced. Having said that, one of the current Celtic squad members has openly backed Nancy.
It’s perhaps obvious that Alistair Johnston would be among the first to speak about Nancy to the media. The Canadian international played under the Frenchman at CF Montreal. He is pretty confident about the future, but his words of praise and reassurance carry a warning too.
Celtic player foresees beautiful football under Wilfried Nancy
Johnston reckons Nancy will have Celtic playing beautiful football, which would be a welcome change from what we had seen in the last several months of Brendan Rodgers' run. Well, there were some glimpses of what the new approach might look like in the first half against Hearts. Missed chances by Daizen Maeda came from a flurry of quick passing plays as the Hoops swarmed over the oppodition.
But goals didn't follow, and as Hearts defended strongly, they also managed to put the ball into the Celtic net twice on the other end, and the game was gone. As was a chance to take the lead at the top of the league.
And that's where Johnston’s warning comes into play alongside his praise for Nancy. As reported by the Daily Record, he said:
"I am excited to have him here. The biggest thing for him is that it is different in the MLS - you don't get nearly as much time over here. At big clubs like Celtic, he knows very well that yes, you want to implement your ideas, but you need to win as well.
"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. I hope we can do that and keep our end of the bargain too."
It is early days and not the time to panic. With a bit of luck, some better shooting at goal and a more sustained energy in the second half, the game needn’t have been lost. A win was well within reach until the second Hearts goal hit the back of the net.
After that, a flurry where an Arne Engels header was saved on the line and a follow-up from Reo Hatate cannoned off the bar did raise hopes briefly. But Celtic's chances were very limited, as was any creativity to beat the Hearts block, until Tierney's late goal.
Johnston may well prove correct. Nancy may well go on to do great things with Celtic. In a week after losing to Hearts, he has a tough game against AS Roma, followed by a cup final to face up to. Fans will want good performances and a League Cup in the bag.
It’s a must-win trophy to get his time at the club off to a decent start. Nancy will have more time and new players to get it right, but a lot is on the line right now for him to make a positive first impression. Then again, you never know how long you'll get as a manager in Glasgow. Just ask Russell Martin.