Wilfried Nancy has already taken charge of two big games at Celtic.
But in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren, he will experience a whole different level of pressure.
Nancy has lost both of his two games in charge since replacing Martin O’Neill. Clearly, the timing of the appointment isn’t ideal, but there’s no going back ahead of Sunday.
Nancy has been criticised for his formation, which he instantly implemented despite only having two training sessions with the team. Some of his comments and, of course, equipment have also drawn criticism.
But for Joe Hart, who knows what a winning Celtic team looks like, Nancy simply needs to understand the importance of the game.
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Joe Hart sends message to the Celtic board and Wilfried Nancy
Nancy said that he ‘wasn’t concerned’ after the Roma defeat, alarming some supporters.
There’s no doubt that Nancy wants to win as much do, but this was perhaps a telling sign that he doesn’t quite understand his surroundings yet.
READ MORE: Stiliyan Petrov asks three questions of Celtic’s board, says he ‘feels sorry’ for Wilfried Nancy
And Hart, speaking post-match on TNT Sports, thinks this has to be immediately addressed.
He said: “You’ve got to earn the right to play exciting football. You can’t just go out there and expect a team to roll over.
“For all this domestic drama that we’re talking about – Roma don’t care. Roma are a top team, they’ve got a job to do tonight. They couldn’t believe their luck when that first-half Celtic team turned up.
“They’re not going to wait for anyone, just like St Mirren won’t on Sunday.
“It’s up to the players you’ve got to have self-pride and put yourself on that pitch, regardless of who the manager is. You’ve got to represent this jersey and represent this badge.
“That’s the bare minimum. You’ve got to work together, it’s not just one man telling you what to do. You’re not at school, you’re not children.
“You’ve got to set the standard, and almost show him [Nancy] the club that he’s walking into, and the standards.
“Because respectfully, he’s not to know. He’s heard about this great club Celtic, he’s heard about this fantastic support, this home stadium…
“But it’s up to the players and up to the crowd to show him what he’s in for, and him to learn and realise really quickly at the moment – I really don’t think he quite knows what he’s walked into.
“He needs the people in the board, whoever’s appointed him, to not just tell him about tactics, but tell him how important Sunday is.”
Has Wilfried Nancy been poorly advised since joining Celtic?
Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic spell so far
Nancy arrived at Celtic with assistant Kwame Ampadu, fitness coach Jules Gueguen and video performance coach Maxim Chalier, describing the club as a ‘perfect fit’ for him.
But he was straight to work against Hearts, in a game which saw Celtic create chances, but Hearts ultimately found it too easy to see the game out.
He took a hammering in his first European tie on Thursday – but recent Hoops managers have shown that this doesn’t mean you can’t win domestically.
If Nancy can mark his first win with a trophy, it will certainly bode well for the rest of his spell.
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