Chris Sutton lays Celtic blame as Wilfried Nancy sack verdict issued after loss vs Dundee United
Chris Sutton was weighed in with his assessment of Wilfried Nancy after Celtic were beaten 2-1 away at Dundee United on Wednesday.
Daizen Maeda’s early goal put the visitors in a commanding position at Tannadice, but a quickfire double from the hosts in the second half saw them take the points with goals from Krisztian Keresztes and Zach Sapsford.
Celtic fans have torn into Johnny Kenny for his performance, after he squandered several golden opportunities in the first half that could have put the game to bed before the interval.
Dundee United hadn’t beaten Celtic since way back in February 2014, but the Bhoys saw that impressive run come crashing to a halt in midweek.
Chris Sutton thinks Celtic players and board must share responsibility
Sutton defended Nancy after Celtic’s loss to Hearts in the new boss’ opening game in charge, and he has been firmly in favour of giving the Frenchman time to instil his ideas so far.
Th ex-Columbus crew manager has faced heavy criticism for the results during his tenure so far, and he has come under fire for attempting to oversee a drastic tactical change from the system employed by Martin O’Neill.
Wednesday’s defeat to Dundee United was a tale of missed opportunities for the visitors, not least when Maeda headed against the post from inside the six-yard box, and Nancy will undoubtedly be wondering what could have been as he looks back in the game in the coming days.
Sutton took to X to share his thoughts on the situation after the full-time whistle, and he was keen to stress that the players and the board need to share some of the blame.
“After that Maeda miss you just wonder if it’s not meant to be for Nancy,” the 52-year-old wrote in a post.
“The bottom line is it’s more the sub-standard players than the manager, it all goes back to a poor summer. Celtic look like a 3rd place team at present. Well done to Jim Goodwin and Dundee United.”
Dundee United victory secures 32-year Premiership first
Celtic’s recent struggles in the Premiership have coincided with Rangers also lurching from one issue to another so far this term.
Hearts have been the welcome beneficiaries of that so far, and they have already built a six-point lead for themselves at the top of the table.
Celtic’s latest defeat means that Derek McInnes’ men will be top of the pile at Christmas, the first time a team from outside the Old Firm has occupied top spot at that stage of the season since 1993, according to BBC Sport.
The Parkhead outfit are firmly in a rut at the moment, and Nancy and Co. will be desperate to secure three points at home to Aberdeen this weekend.