It was only a matter of time before stories of Wilfried Nancy’s time at Celtic began to get told in the Scottish media.
The former Celtic manager was sacked after just 33 days in charge which saw a horrific run of six defeats in his eight games in charge.
Nancy holds the worst record of any Celtic manager in the club’s entire history, after defeats to Hearts, Dundee United, Motherwell and Rangers derailed the Bhoys’ title defence.
James Forrest’s incredible Celtic goal scoring record. Let us know in the comments below which is your favourite.
We told how it appeared that Nancy had lost the Celtic dressing room from his first day in charge as his methods confused the Hoops first-team.
But it appears that the Frenchman’s treatment of Celtic legend James Forrest was the start of Nancy’s troubles at the club, according to journalist Stephen McGowan.
How Wilfried Nancy ‘lectured’ Celtic icon James Forrest
James Forrest has seen it all at Celtic. Nine-in-a-row, Quadruple Treble, great Champions League nights and iconic wins over Rangers at Celtic Park and Ibrox.
He is also Celtic’s most decorated player. So when Nancy tried to tell him how to do the most basic of things in training in front of the Scottish press, it’s little wonder the players lost belief in their former manager.
A report from Stephen McGowan in The Herald says, “Broadcasters are granted access to training for the first 15 minutes the day before a game and cameras pictured Nancy pausing a box rondo warm-up exercise to lecture James Forrest – one of the most decorated players in club history – on how to open up his body and receive the ball.
“Assistant manager Kwame Ampadu was equally prone to teaching international footballers how to suck eggs.
“While advice on the little things was offered freely and unsolicited, guidance and instruction on the big important issues like structure and shape was harder to come by.
“Senior dressing-room figures felt dissatisfied by what they and their team-mates were asked to do and the lack of detail over how they should go about it. When they sought instruction, it was rarely forthcoming.”
What Stephen McGowan heard about Nancy’s doomed Celtic spell ‘from day one’
How Celtic went from beating Rangers and Feyenoord under Martin O’Neill to losing to the likes of Dundee United and St Mirren in such meek fashion baffled the Parkhead support.
But it seems that Nancy had already fallen on his sword from the very first day he stepped into Celtic.
McGowan revealed after Celtic’s defeat to Motherwell, “There was just a simplicity to what Askou does, which you could imagine players could tap into.
“Because from day one, really the early days of Wilfried Nancy, you were hearing stories from Lennoxtown of discontent of players who just weren’t having it at all.
“And that was virtually from day one or day two, not a good sign.”
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