SUNDAY saw Celtic's new boss, Wilfried Nancy, step into the Parkhead dugout for the first time since he put pen to paper last Wednesday evening, marking a new era for Celtic Football Club.
Last Wednesday evening the Hoops gave Martin O'Neill a final send-off before the new man touched base in Glasgow, and in doing so they edged out Dundee by a single goal after Daizen Maeda headed home inside the first 15 minutes of play.
Celtic were far from pleasing on the eye last Wednesday, but with the announcement that Nancy had landed just an hour before the game it gave O'Neill one last chance to take centre-stage in the stadium where his career in management will be fondly remembered forever more.
Clawing back to a level points tally with league leaders Hearts proved a job well done by O'Neill and Shaun Maloney as they departed, with the new manager set to welcome the Gorgie boys in his first game.
The overwhelming emotion surrounding that victory over Dundee left many Celtic fans in disarray as O'Neill's second chapter as Celtic boss came to a close, leaving him with the best domestic win percentage in the club's history with 85.4% of games resulting in a victory for the Derry native.
The rumour mill had been circulating for weeks as the hunt continued for the perfect man for the job. The man who seemingly fitted the bill was Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy.
Wilfried Nancy signed a 2.5 year contract as Hoops boss
Nancy is a name that has frequently circulated in relation to several notable European hot seats. His name gathered real traction after he won the MLS Cup with Columbus Crew in 2024, a result which, for those who are not well versed in American soccer, was very much an underdog story given the finances and resources the club had available.
One thing that has been on the minds of Celtic fans worldwide is the fact that the Frenchman has never coached at a high level in Europe, plying his trade solely in North America.
Sunday's test against the league leaders was one that was widely anticipated, so much so that it had been poached late-on by Sky Sports for live TV viewing.
One thing was clear early on – the usual noise and hype that accompany Celtic Park on a big fixture was not there. The atmosphere was dire, the lack of noise or backing for the team was an issue from the get-go, with the away fans constantly outsinging the 50,000 in green and white.
The timing of the Green Brigade ban could not have come at a worse time, with the club continuing to batten down the hatches in relation to the Ultras group and siding with their head of security over the fans. Singling out fans caused a ruckus from fan groups on Sunday with banners expressing their outrage at the current Celtic board even as Nancy made his bow.
In the first half Celtic played at a fast pace, their passing was easy on the eye and they looked to be fulfilling Nancy's promise to entertain. That man Maeda should have given Celtic the lead early on, but scuffed a chance as he regularly does in a one on one situation. But for all their possession and all their attractive football in the first 45, the team utterly lacked punch up front.
That total failure to seriously discomfort the Hearts defence was punished moments before the break when Hearts star man Claudio Braga took advantage of a scruffy melée in the Celtic penalty box to put the ball in the corner past a flat-footed Kasper Schmeichel.
The decision to play three at the back and revert to Maeda as the central striker had the vast majority of Celtic fans uneasy at the kick off, but had the Japanese striker converted that early chance to allow the team to settle down, Nancy could have been hailed for his tactics. Unfortunately for the Frenchman that didn't happen and in the second half things went from bad to worse at a flat and despondent Celtic Park as Oisin McEntee was left criminally free in the box to head home.
Despite a late Kieran Tierney consolation, the Hoops suffered a second league defeat to their superiors in Scotland and the Tynecastle outfit consolidated their place at the top.
The overarching point of concern was not just Celtic losing at home, but the fact that Nancy decided to implement a new style of play against the league leaders. It was pretty naive of Nancy to assume the current crop of Celtic players could adjust to his 3-4-3 formation, with so many square pegs in round holes. But one thing is for sure: the January window is huge for the Celtic board if they want their man to succeed.
A Green Brigade banner from 2019 calling the board out for lack of transfers
A huge talking point aside from the football was that during the second half, Celtic's Head of Football Operations, Paul 'The Football Doctor' Tisdale, appeared to be snoozing in the directors' box. It was a seriously awful look for fans who questioned whether he should still be employed at Celtic Park.
This is the very same 'Football Doctor' who has overseen multiple failed transfers since he took a seat at the top table and questions need seriously to be asked about who appointed a guy who's dozing while Celtic battle to get back into a vital game under a new manager. It could spell the end of a calamity which has seen Tisdale spend millions without any real effect.
Celtic return to European action on Thursday and it's something of an understatement to say hopes aren't high. But those who have already written Nancy off should remember Ange Postecoglou lost 2-1 to Hearts in his first game, and that was after a full pre-season to bed in his style of play.
Roma come to town on Thursday evening, before the first piece of silverware is up for grabs when Celtic take on St Mirren at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon. It's a massive few days for Wilfried Nancy, and it's surely not to early to say that this four-day spell could make or break his Celtic career.
