Neil Warnock believes that Martin O’Neill may have actually done more bad than good for Wilfried Nancy.
O’Neill handed the reins over to Nancy after a wonderful few weeks that saw him guide the Hoops to seven wins from eight games.
Many wanted him to stay until after the Premier Sports Cup final, but Nancy took charge instead and has struggled so far.
Two defeats from two have cranked up the pressure early doors, but Warnock thinks that his predecessor may have been a problem for the Frenchman.
- READ MORE: Celtic youngster who left for the Premier League says whether Hoops pathway is ‘impossible’
Has Wilfried Nancy been poorly advised since joining Celtic?
Neil Warnock thinks Wilfried Nancy has ‘bamboozled’ Celtic players
The criticism around Nancy’s start has been escalated far more than it needed to, with some even calling for him to be sacked.
While Chris Sutton has defended the Hoops boss, the journeyman manager Warnock has different ideas.
As well as slamming the decision to wear green trainers, he also believes that O’Neill’s relationship with the playing squad has hindered the early connection between the manager and players.
Rate your optimism for Wilfried Nancy out of ten…
Speaking on TalkSPORT’s Outspoken podcast, he said: “I don’t suppose it helped him that Martin did a really good job. I think when you read some of the players’ reports, they love Martin because, you know, I think when you’re getting on a little bit like us, you sort of concentrate on building, getting the love, you know, putting your arm around players and telling them what they’re good at, not what they’re not good at and don’t bamboozle them with tactics.
“And I think, you know, to come in and change formations after they’d won seven out of eight games, I just felt it was like, I’m going to change, I’m going to show them what I’m doing.
“And then when they told me he wore green trainers, I laughed my head off. I did, honestly, because you just don’t do that up there.”
Wilfried Nancy is right to ignore the hate
Nancy seems like the sort of manager that doesn’t listen to the outside noise, and that can only be a good thing.
As the media, ex professionals and pundits all try and take a swipe, the Frenchman has reiterated that he is determined to get through this rough patch.
Beating St Mirren would go some way to silencing some of the doubters, and give him a platform to show everyone what he is really made of.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
