‘I’m told it’s his last game’ – Kris Boyd fumes at ‘alarming’ Celtic news after Wilfried Nancy sack call
Kris Boyd cannot believe the rumours that Celtic are reportedly set to part ways with long-serving goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods amid Wilfried Nancy’s dismal start to life as manager.
Nancy was hired by Celtic earlier this month as a permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers after Martin O’Neill‘s successful interim spell in charge.
He faced a tough start as they were defeated by both Hearts and Roma, but their Premier Sports Cup final loss to St Mirren saw serious questions asked about his suitability for such a high-pressure role.
Celtic lost 2-1 to Dundee United last time out to pile the pressure on Nancy, with fans calling for him to be sacked as their disgraced board watched on from the stands.
He has remained in charge for now, despite such a poor start, but needs to turn things around quickly to get fans onside and keep his job for longer than a month.
Woods could leave his Celtic goalkeeping coach role soon
Nancy has shown a clear misunderstanding of what it means to manage a club like Celtic, with huge expectations and pressure on his players to perform and win every game, at least domestically.
He arrived at Parkhead with his Columbus Crew assistant boss Kwame Ampadu alongside him, but the club chose to retain goalkeeping coach Woods and first-team coach Gavin Strachan.
Glasgow-born Woods has been with Celtic since 2007, so clearly knows all there is to know about the club and its history, with Nancy last week addressing rumours around him leaving by saying: “No, he’s here. He trained with us, he’s committed to what he does, so this is the most important.”
Despite that refutation, journalist Mark Guidi revealed this week on the Go Radio Football Show that he has been told that Woods is set to depart the club very soon, saying: “I’m told it was Stevie Woods’ last game last night (against Dundee United) as goalkeeping coach.
“And if I’m wrong, I was told today from someone I trust that that was Stevie Woods’ last game. There’s certainly been stuff during the rounds about him and his role and the manager not being overly happy.“
Boyd criticises potential Woods exit decision as Nancy struggles with Celtic culture
Letting Woods leave would certainly be a strange move by those in power at Parkhead, and not one that would do them any favours among the already seething fanbase.
Former Rangers striker Boyd recently weighed in on Peter Lawwell’s Celtic exit as he prepares to leave the club at the end of this month, and he has now urged them not to let Woods leave as he helps Nancy get to grips with what is expected of him.
Writing in his new column in the Scottish Sun, he said: “Nancy needs support but there are red flags everywhere, given the amount of whispers about what’s going on behind the scenes.
“Stevie Woods has been goalie coach since 2009 and has been a trusted ally to every successful manager since.
“There is a lot of talk that he could be heading out of the door and that would be an alarming development for Celtic.
“You need guys of that standing and calibre at every club. They know the demands, the standards.“
It is tough to disagree with such a viewpoint, and it would certainly feel like a bold move from Celtic’s board to effectively side with Nancy over Woods, if he does exit soon.