Scottish Premiership sack race takes unexpected new twist after latest news in Scotland
Wilfried Nancy is now even more likely to be sacked by Celtic after their crushing Premier Sports Cup defeat to St Mirren.
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 first two games at the helm against Hearts and Roma, with losses in each as they lost ground in the respective Premiership and Europa League tables.
Sunday’s cup final against St Mirren presented the Frenchman with a great chance to win and lift some silverware early on in his tenure, but they were second-best all afternoon and lost 3-1 at Hampden Park.
Celtic fans want O’Neill back in charge and Nancy gone following the loss, and it certainly seems a likely outcome very soon unless he oversees instant improvements.
St Mirren loss has piled the pressure on Nancy
Nancy arrived at Celtic with strong credentials in the MLS from his time as Columbus Crew manager, as he won the 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup as well as last year’s Coach of the Year award.
He has not been able to transfer his managerial qualities over to Scottish football so far, however, and Sunday’s game was a real blow to his already fractured relationship with the club’s fans.
Celtic found themselves a goal down inside two minutes as Marcus Fraser scored from a corner, and Reo Hatate levelled the tie before the break before a second-half brace by Jonah Agunya sealed a shock cup triumph for Stephen Robinson’s side.
Despite his dismal start, Football Insider have revealed that Celtic have no intention of sacking Nancy anytime soon.
Sources say that their board are prepared to give him time to implement his ideas properly, but he clearly needs to turn things around quickly before pressure from the fans for him to be sacked is too much for the Hoops’ chiefs to ignore.
Another Premiership boss has lost his job after the weekend’s action
Stuart Kettlewell has been under serious pressure at Kilmarnock in recent weeks, after they won just two of their first 16 league games of the season with a relegation battle looming.
They slipped to 11th in the top-flight after a late 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen on Sunday, and the club’s chiefs have acted accordingly, with Kettlewell relieved of his duties on Monday.
A club statement following the decision read: “This has been a difficult decision taken after careful consideration. We believe there is plenty of quality in the squad and had hoped that results would turn around. Unfortunately change is now required to best serve the interests of Kilmarnock FC.“
Celtic’s board may have to make a similar statement soon if Nancy is unable to turn their fortunes around soon, with Wednesday’s clash with Dundee United already looking like a must-win if he wants to remain at the helm.