Alistair Johnston has reflected on Wilfried Nancy’s spell in charge at Celtic.
Of all of the players inherited by the Frenchman in Glasgow, Johnston was the only one with whom he was familiar.
The pair had worked together at CF Montreal, where the defender earned his move to Celtic — but he was unable to reunite with Nancy on the pitch due to injury.
Nancy’s spell turned out to be a disaster, with Celtic losing six of their eight games before he was rapidly sacked.
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Alistair Johnston says he knew what Wilfried Nancy wanted to implement at Celtic
Reflecting on the 33-day nightmare with the media, Johnston said: “It was tough, just because I couldn’t be out on the grass.
“I knew what he wanted to implement and how different it would be compared to what we’re used to here.
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“It was just tough being injured and not being able to get out on the grass and help things, and help guys understand exactly what he was trying to look for.
“Again, French is his first language – there are a couple of things that can get lost in translation a little bit.
“I was just trying my best, especially off the pitch, just to help guys out. But it’s never the same when you’re off the pitch, trying to talk guys through it versus being out there and helping them through.
“It was a really sticky period. We dropped quite a few points there. It was quite a low in my time at the club. We never had results like that in such a prolonged period. It was difficult.”
Nancy praised Celtic fans in 2023 after reading their praise of Johnston on social media, shortly after selling him to Glasgow.
The Canadian was thrown straight in at the deep end by Ange Postecoglou, starting in a 2-2 draw at Ibrox with Josip Juranovic being moved to left-back.
It’s fair to say that Nancy was also thrown straight in at the deep end in Glasgow, but was ultimately unable to swim to safety.
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Alistair Johnston backs Wilfried Nancy to have a good career
Johnston went on to back Nancy to have a good career in football, saying: “Look, I think he’s a great manager. I think his football does work,” he added. “Whatever the case was, it obviously wasn’t the right time.
“But that’s not to say he can’t go to another European club or wherever and make it work.
“Would a pre-season probably have helped? I do think so. Whenever you’re trying to do a completely different style of football and introduce some really new ideas, it definitely helps to have friendly matches to really work on things.
“But that’s also the challenge of working at a club like this – you don’t necessarily get time. Especially when you come in mid-season, you need to hit the ground running, and I think that’s something he was acutely aware of.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but I’ve got no doubt in my mind that he’s going to go somewhere else and be a huge success.”
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