‘What Martin O’Neill told me about staying at Celtic was a dagger in my heart’
Wilfried Nancy is under ever-increasing pressure at Celtic after they were beaten 2-1 away at Dundee United on Wednesday night.
The Bhoys suffered their first defeat against the Terrors in 11 years, as a second-half turnaround left the visitors sitting six points behind Hearts at the top of the Premiership table.
Daizen Maeda put Celtic ahead in the early stages, but it quickly became a tale of missed chances, and they were swiftly punished for that by a quickfire double from the hosts in the second period.
The fans have already turned on Nancy, who has overseen the worst-ever start by a Celtic manager, and a recent revelation from Martin O’Neill is unlikely to ease their frustrations at all.
Alan Brazil bemoans Martin O’Neill decision: ‘I just don’t get it’
O’Neill steadied the ship at Celtic after a slow start to the season, as he led them to seven wins from his eight games in charge.
That run of form helped to claw the Parkhead outfit back into the title race in domestic action, while a famous victory away at Feneyoord has also kept their Europa League hopes alive.
O’Neill then handed the reins over to Nancy after the 1-0 victory over Dundee on 3 December, but it has since been all downhill under the new boss.
The 73-year-old was only ever intended to be a temporary solution for the Glasgow giants, but that hasn’t prevented Alan Brazil from questioning why the board allowed him to walk away at the end of his duties.
“I just don’t get it,” the former Scotland international said on his talkSPORT breakfast show (18 December).
“There was no agreement (for O’Neill to stay), it’s fine, I accept that, but Martin’s already stated on talkSPORT that he would have stayed. It was a dagger in my heart.
“Nancy says we’re there and on the right track, but I don’t know what he’s on about. How can you say we’re on the right track? I’m sick and tired of excuses.”
Johnny Kenny set for Celtic axe against Aberdeen
Celtic fans tore into Johnny Kenny for his display on Wednesday night, and it was easy to see why, given the role that he played in the defeat.
The 22-year-old led the line for Nancy’s men at the top of the pitch, but he squandered several quality chances throughout the first half that could have easily put his team out of sight.
The youngster showed his lack of experience and composure in front of goal on several of the opportunities, and his team were ultimately left to rue his errors.
Nancy pointed to the number of missed chances in his post-match interview, and as a result, it is difficult to see a way that Kenny starts in the clash with Aberdeen at the weekend.
The boss will certainly not want to start singling out individuals in the current crisis, but it was clear to see that the game could have had a different outcome had Kenny been more clinical.