How did Nancy manage to become Celtic manager?

4 days ago 2

Wilfried Nancy is gone, Martin O'Neill is back, but one question remains - how and why did all that just happen?

The heat from Celtic fans on the club's board has been cranked up following the Nancy debacle, which has resulted in O'Neill's rapid return.

Joining from Columbus Crew in the MLS, where Nancy enjoyed success, the Frenchman appeared out of his depth in Scotland, losing six of his eight games.

The support now want answers. The fact Paul Tisdale also left his role of head of football operations points to him being at least partly responsible.

There was a link between Tisdale and Nancy's assistant coach Kwame Ampadu, who worked with Tisdale during his time as a manager at Exeter City.

However, final decision-makers at Celtic would have signed off such a significant deal, and how that deal got the green light has caused serious head-scratching.

"There has to be a fall guy and Tisdale is the fall guy," said former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner on BBC Sportsound.

"From Dermot Desmond and the board's point of view, somebody has to be blamed for this catastrophic situation.

"It's a bit embarrassing when you compare things to where Celtic were six months ago. Tisdale's been the go-to person when it comes to the football operations.

"This is the bit I can't fathom, you're going to quiz a manager, get every bit of information, how he's going to play, the system, how he sees the profile of the players... I'm sure Tisdale must have done that.

"If you're getting the wrong answers or the guy isn't giving you the information, there must have been alarm bells going off."

Meanwhile, Paul Brennan, editor of Celtic Quick News, says the Celtic board were correct to "think differently" and try to find a hidden gem by appointing Nancy - but the Frenchman "could and should have gone four games ago" when it was clear he wasn't up to the job.

And on Tisdale, Brennan says he "was never a fit for the club". He added: "The Tisdale appointment was unfathomable. The man's heritage was Exeter City, he had never played or competed in top-tier football in any country.

"He had never recruited at the level that Celtic were expected to play at. We had gone from a head of recruitment who spent a decade at Manchester and recruited someone who spent 12 years at Exeter City."

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