Darren O’Dea has defended Celtic’s appointment of Wilfried Nancy.
We are now five months on from the day that Nancy and Paul Tisdale were relieved of their duties after a disastrous 33-day spell.
He goes down as one of the worst managers in the club’s history with six defeats in eight games. He immediately disposed of a winning formula under Martin O’Neill, disrupting the team’s momentum in the process.
But revisiting the process of the appointment, O’Dea expressed sympathy with the club.
What has Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic tenure done to your expectations for the Hoops’ next appointment?
Darren O’Dea says Celtic went ‘down a route’ with Wilfried Nancy
Reflecting on the appointment on the Go Radio Football Show, O’Dea said: “It is. In hindsight, clearly, it was [madness]. There’s no debate to have.
“But I do sympathise that they went down a route, and I think the length of time it took to appoint Wilfried Nancy took longer.
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“And in the meantime, Martin won. Then they had a decision — and ultimately, at the top level of any business, your decision-making counts [whether you’re a success or not].
“They got it wrong in terms of changing. But it would’ve been going all the way down the line with Wilfried Nancy, and then going: ‘No, actually, we’ve got a manager already in place, the interim’.
“I do sympathise. I do genuinely sympathise. I’ll probably be on my own with that, but I do sympathise with them.
“But, clearly, it was the wrong decision.”
Nancy faced doubts over his suitability for Celtic after seeing success in a completely different environment in Columbus. Ultimately, those doubts were vindicated.
With the team flying under O’Neill, Nancy instantly changed system ahead of Celtic’s biggest week of the season, losing all four of his opening games.
Sum up Wilfried Nancy’s 33 days at Celtic in one word…
Wilfried Nancy’s final days at Celtic
After a 3-1 defeat to Rangers at Celtic Park, many felt that the writing was on the wall for Nancy.
After radio silence on the Sunday, Monday began without an announcement, until a press release appeared in the late afternoon.
This confirmed Nancy’s departure alongside assistants Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen and Maxime Chalier.
O’Neill’s return was then confirmed in the evening, with the familiar coaching team of Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus.
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