A former Premier League star has explained the likely reason Wilfried Nancy failed during his short time in charge with Celtic. Nancy lasted just 33 days after arriving on the back of a three-year spell with Columbus Crew in MLS.
The Frenchman arrived with a clear focus on how he wanted the team to play, to the point of disregarding everything else, but the Bhoys did not adapt to his methods.
Nancy oversaw six defeats in eight games, winning just twice, and he was quickly sacked, barely lasting more than a month, leaving Celtic's title hopes in the balance.
Why Nancy failed
Speaking to TalkSport, former Tottenham and USMNT goalkeeper Brad Friedel explained why Nancy failed to Celtic Park.
“I came over here, and I was the head coach with the New England Revolution," he said. "I found it difficult to go from the professionalism of the Premier League to this way (the MLS). He went on to admit that adapting to the league proved difficult for him personally.
“I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I was too stubborn to stay in my own professionalism. I wouldn’t adapt to the level of MLS.
“I think what Wilfried did is that he adapted to the US culture. He went over there. When you go to a club like Celtic, and you hear his first interview. ‘I don’t care about the results. It’s how we play.’
“No. Results matter, and the fans will actually put up with you playing poorly if you are winning the matches for a certain amount of time. So, I think he found that change, going to that type of club, very, very difficult.”
Nancy simply wasn't ready
From almost everything he did and said, it felt like Nancy wasn't ready for the Celtic job. While he may have a decent amount of experience in the US, he hadn't experienced enough of any other league to appreciate how things differ from league-to-league, country-to-country.
Arriving in a new league, it's always wise to get your feet under the table and assess how things are before deciding to be set on a certain way of doing things Nancy's inexperience told him he could take the Celtic job without adapting, requiring those who worked for him to do all the adapting, and that was never going to work, especially not taking over during the season, when the players are already having to adapt on the fly.
Add us as a preferred source on Google