Former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew has been analysing the dire situation that his old club finds itself in this morning after yet another capitulation from Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic side at the weekend…
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy reacts during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and theRangers at Celtic Park on January 03, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
This time the gifts of three goals and three points were handed to theRangers in the Glasgow Derby as Nancy’s crazy system left Celtic wide open at the back in the second half after dominating the latest Ibrox side in opening 45 minutes, with only a wonder individual goal from Yang to show for it.
Speaking on talkSport today Mulgrew looked at the predicament that the Celtic Board now find themselves in after deciding against keeping the momentum achieved by Martin O’Neill and instead replacing him with the rookie Frenchman with a naive approach to football played at a decent level.
Uncertainly hanging over Nancy’s head
Mulgrew reckons that the January transfer window plans cannot be cast in stone with the uncertainly hanging over Nancy’s head. One online poll on X, with almost 4000 responses was 95% in favour of sacking Nancy immediately while just 5% remained supportive of the manager despite his appalling record in the job that has statistically made him the worst manager in Celtic’s unbroken history.
Charlie Mulgrew. Motherwell v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. 30 December 2025 Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
Mulgrew argued that the decision not to stick with O’Neill’s winning run throughout December was made with the January transfer window in mind. Bring in Nancy asap, their first choice for the job remember, let him evaluate the squad which was back to winning ways after back-to-back defeats in the final two games under Brendan Rodgers, and then spend accordingly in the transfer market.
Nancy’s report card so far is absolutely dreadful
That seems to have been the plan but football is a results business and Nancy’s report card so far is absolutely dreadful.
So do you buy to suit and in doing so change the structure of the squad to suit a system of a manager that the fans want out and the players – judging by what Luke McCowan had to say after the game at the weekend – seem to have little faith in?
The Celtic support is mobilising and there is even talk of a boycott of matches to force through change with Nancy now top of the list due to the game-by-game damage he is doing to Celtic’s title chances.
Wilfried Nancy, Head Coach of Celtic, reacts during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on January 03, 2026 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“I think that’s why they went for a permanent manager, because of the transfer window. Now the board are in a position where they’ll be talking about whether or not Nancy is the man to spend money on,” Mulgrew said.
“The last window was nowhere near good enough. There needs to be money spent and you need someone in charge who can have the final say and is trusted. Then you look at the fact he will need to recruit players for his formation. Celtic don’t really have the wing-backs that Nancy wants and he wants full-backs playing as outside centre-backs.
“I don’t think he’s the man to be trusted with that money,” Mulgrew stated.
So the very reason Celtic brought Nancy in as quickly as possible is likely to be the reason they decide to get rid of the Frenchman.
Mulgrew talks about a “clear disconnect” between Nancy and the Celtic players, and has identified what needs addressed tactically if the Frenchman is to stand any chance of getting his players onside.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor with Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy Celtic Team Training and press conference, Lennoxtown Training Ground, 2 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock
“The big issue for me is that he plays wingers as wing-backs and that’s OK when you’ve got loads of possession and keeping teams in their half, but it’s not happening often enough. Especially in the game against (the)Rangers, those wingers were playing as full-backs. If you look at their positioning and them trying to defend, it’s just alien to them.
“If they’re playing a back three and the wingers are playing as wingers then it’s fine, but they aren’t. It’s been a big issue but that hasn’t been the main thing for me.
“When Martin O’Neill came in, I don’t think it would have mattered which formation they played. I think the way he manages people, the players responded to that because he’s authentic and has energy. You can trust the way he talks.
“I don’t get that with Nancy and there’s clear disconnect between the players and the manager. You can see the players are confused.”
Manager Celtic Wilfried Nancy of Celtic looks on after Celtic’s loss in the Premier League match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on December 30, 2025 in Motherwell, Scotland. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
Nancy’s time is up. Whether the Celtic Board hang on and allow him to do further damage on and off the park through transfer deals, remains to be seem. Shaun Maloney is closely involved with the transfer business planning, since leaving the dugout as assistant to Martin O’Neill, he has been working alongside Paul Tisdale.
This means that should Martin O’Neill come back he will have an up-to-speed Maloney sitting alongside him and the pair could together make informed decisions on any targets.
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As Nancy and Tisdale haven’t been removed from there positions yet, then it’s looking more likely that the pair of them, will be involved in addressing the January window imo?
Very uncomfortable situation to find ourselves in. Hoping Nancy can do another Ange and finding gold in the lesser markets available again?
A longshot of massive proportions, with the current situation escalating to very unsavoury levels for ourselves to experience yet again?
Always look at the potential relationship between players and manager of the biggest interests within our club, and at present, believe that they are nearly non existent imo?
Even with Seb and balikwisha returning, we possibly have 22 players for Nancy to work with, despite the 6 unavailable currently?
Out of those 22 just how many are on board with Nancy methods?
Personally thinking it’s a very low number myself?
Wouldn’t even be confident that calmac wants to ride such a storm, if the prospect of a Saudi calling came his way either?
Can except that a total rebuild of our playing squad is required?
Very hard to accept that Nancy and Tisdale, looking like the main decision makers, trusted to turn around our fortunes.
Neither have the backing of the support, along with Nicholson and mckay to oversee any potential deals?
If that is the route decided upon for our club?
Then only can conclude that things are possibly going to get far worse, before thoughts of repairing the damage, can even begin imo?
It will be certainly done on the cheaper options available, which continues to bring a low success rate within such a policy in operation. That one success is covering the losses made within the failures.
But such a policy only allows for a hit and miss approach to European football, which continues at far more misses than hits.
With such a policy in operation, then any choices of managers are going to be limited, especially as the player trading model has to be improved and protected within such a policy at board level imo?