A lot of people doubted whether Wilfried Nancy had the credentials to be the Celtic manager when he was brought in from Columbus Crew. Of course, many also pointed at the job that Ange Postecoglou had done at the club. Then again, the Australian's reputation had been built up around success at both club and international level over decades.
Nobody can say that about Nancy. He was not ready for the job. That has become abundantly clear over the first few weeks of his run.
It is hard to imagine that he will succeed at Celtic. But the board don't seem keen on admitting that they got this move absolutely wrong. As a result, he remains in the job despite losing five out of his seven games since taking charge.
He is feeling the pressure though. Do not think otherwise. And his recent comments to the media show that. As reported by The Guardian, he said:
"This is only the beginning. Usually, we have four weeks of pre-season. I did not have pre-season. Before I came, I knew that if I don’t win games I am going to be in trouble because this is part of the job. But I am pleased to be here. I know where we are now. I am not an underdog.
“In context, I knew this kind of situation could happen. I need time. Give me time and you will see my team. You are going to see what I am going to do because you can see already what I did before."
'Delusional' - Celtic fans slam Wilfried Nancy for comments before Derby
Somebody needs to inform Nancy that most Celtic fans are not really impressed, or even bothered, by his accomplishments in the MLS. And to be honest, they were not anything extraordinary either.
As one Celtic fan wrote: "Arrogant and delusional. It just doesn’t stack up. Martin O’Neil and Shaun Maloney didn’t have a preseason and won the majority of the their games."
Let's see if Nancy is able to turn things around and guide this team to victory in the derby this weekend against the Rangers. If he cannot, that might be the end of the road for him at Celtic Park. One has to wonder if people have already talked to him about that possibility, which is why he felt the need to present this vision in front of the media, a day before the derby.