Chris Sutton reckons it’s complete madness for some Celtic supporters to be calling for Wilfried Nancy to be dismissed as Celtic manager if St Mirren win today’s Premier Sports Cup Final at Hampden Park against Celtic…
Nancy was thrown into the deep end with crucial matches against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership and Roma in the Europa League before today’s showpiece final at the National stadium as the Frenchman looks for his first win after succeeding Brendan Rodgers as permanent Celtic manager.
Rodgers got Celtic through the earlier rounds in the Premier Sports Cup with wins over Falkirk and Partick Thistle before interim manager Martin O’Neill knocked-out theRangers in the semi-final, setting Wilfried Nancy up for his first chance at lifting silverware against St Mirren this afternoon.
Nancy has a long injury list, an already weakened squad after boardroom failings in both transfer windows in 2025 and is also trying to impose his own tactical ideas on the team from the word go. Those ideas incidentally are what appealed to Dermot Desmond, the man who has ultimate say in all things Celtic.
Nancy is going to need time and also support in the upcoming transfer window. He has had a chance to see the squad playing and his team selection today will tell us if his judgement is sound or suspect.
“There have been some wild takes about Wilfried Nancy after a difficult first week in the job. I’ve even seen some fans suggesting if the League Cup Final doesn’t go Celtic’s way he should be sacked It’s utter madness,” Sutton stated in his weekly newspaper column in Daily Record.
“Don’t get me wrong. Nancy badly needs to get up and running and he really has to get his hands on the first trophy of the season. But to suggest he should be emptied if it goes St Mirren’s way is just ridiculous.
“Even if the unthinkable happens at Hampden – Nancy still needs to be given time. I feel sorry for the Frenchman in a lot of ways. He’s come in at a horrible stage of the season and he’s got a squad that has been severely hampered by injuries and a lack of quality in key areas,” Sutton said.
“Yes, my old boss Martin O’Neill managed to string some results together but the performances were not always great and there was always going to be a time when that came back to bite them.
The Hearts defeat could have happened on his watch. Likewise, Celtic could – and probably would – have lost to Roma the other night whether it was Nancy, O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers, Ange Postecoglou or anyone else in charge,” Sutton argued.
The easiest way to shut down all this nonsense is of course for Celtic to get a result today.Hampden had been a happy hunting ground until the Scottish Cup final was thrown away last year, a warning sign that was ignored by those running our club.
Martin O’Neill however put us back on track at the National stadium, taking care of theRangers to earn us our place in today’s final. The players can do Nancy – and themselves – a huge favour by putting on a good performance today and lifting the trophy around 5.30pm.
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