Spare a thought for Celtic man Olivier Ntcham; a manager's dream

By Euan Davidson

February 2, 2021

Alright, Celtic fans; it could be worse.

If you were an Olympique Marseille supporter waking up this morning, you might’ve thought “Olivier Ntcham! Well, it’s only a loan. Ne pas de bother.”

However, if you were Andrés Villas-Boas, you’d be inspired to resign. It’s been an absolutely remarkable week for Marseille, whose fans got a match postponed due to protests [The Guardian]. The French giants currently sit a meagre 9th in Ligue 1; far below the expectations of the fans and club hierarchy.

The latest is that Villas-Boas has been suspended by the club for threatening to resign in an incredibly public manner. Meanwhile, L’OM supporters have unearthed quotes from Ntcham, citing his support of fierce rivals PSG.

As first days go, it’s up there with Anthony Scaramucci [The Guardian].

Olivier Ntcham celebrates his winning goal against Lazio in last season’s Europa League (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham has enjoyed two schools of man-management

So, it’s out of the frying pan and into the blender for poor Celtic man Olivier Ntcham. He’s left a club where his manager is pretty obviously counting him amongst a number of want-aways. The French midfielder has never really clicked under Lennon, Lazio matches aside. He’s never enjoyed a consistent run under the ex-captain.

Therefore, a loan moved to his native France seemed like a good move. Instead, much like Donald Glover in Community arriving with pizzas into a burning room, he’s got to be asking what’s happened here.

As bad as Neil Lennon is for throwing his players under the bus, he’s never resigned over a loan signing. Some fans will be wishing that was the case with Shane Duffy’s arrival, but we couldn’t possibly comment on that.

It’s good to get a sense of perspective from other clubs. Don’t get us wrong – things are awful at Celtic. But at least we’re second in the league, and we haven’t had to postpone matches due to rioting supporters. Not yet, anyway.

But spare a though for Ntcham, who would’ve been excited by the opportunity to learn under former Porto, Chelsea and Spurs boss Villas-Boas. Instead, before they’ve even met, AVB has been all but sacked for calling out the club he managed, insisting that he found out about Ntcham via the club’s website.

It’s very Ned Flanders saying “And as for you, I don’t know you but I’m sure you’re a jerk!” to Lenny from The Simpsons.

No matter your opinion on Ntcham’s game at Celtic, nobody deserves that. It’s completely unacceptable from a manager to write off a player he’s not even coached upon their arrival at a club.

Neil Lennon looks mild-mannered by comparison. Thanks Marseille – we’re not the biggest riddy of the day. It’s quite refreshing, truth be told.