Wilfried Nancy’s first week at Celtic has been fairly pounced upon by the media.
Celtic’s 2-1 defeat to Hearts wasn’t ideal, of course, but some of the coverage has suggested many more issues than that.
Nancy’s use of a tactics board, as well as some of his post-match comments, have been seen as targets for some – but the Celtic boss knows that a result against Roma could change everything.
The Europa League tie comes three days before the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren, and if any of Nancy’s first three games at Celtic are must-win, that is the one.
But for now, it’s all eyes on the Europa League – and speaking ahead of his first European game in charge, Nancy was asked about the sheer noise surrounding his first week.
Have the Scottish media been fair with Wilfried Nancy in his first week?
Wilfried Nancy’s response to Celtic media storm
Regardless of what some are saying, Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has praised Nancy, saying that he was impressed by what he saw in the Hearts game.
If Daizen Maeda had just scored that early chance, we could very well be talking about a different game.
READ MORE: Baffled Si Ferry in disbelief at what Celtic did on Wilfried Nancy’s first day
The likes of Ryan Stevenson’s comments on Nancy have abandoned valid criticism, instead simply opting for personal attacks.
Nancy said that he blocked this out, but how far can it go? He was pushed further in the embargoed section of his presser.
He said: “It is part of the job. Maybe they are going to say something different. Understand me well, don’t think that I am invincible.
“It is not the point. But the job that I do everyone can talk about, simple as that.
“So why am I going to waste my time worrying about that? If I read a comment where somebody attacks me personally, I am going to lie if I tell you that doesn’t touch me.
“I am a human being, simple as that. But I decided to shut down everything. If people want to tell me that in my face it is okay. This is the way.
“Again, the most important thing is to control what I can control here. I know what this club means for the fans, I know the history of the club, I know the passion from the support here and I respect that.”
What changes to you expect Wilfried Nancy to make against Roma?
What else has been said about Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy?
Not everyone has been taking aim at the Frenchman – Chris Sutton condemned Stevenson’s hit piece on the Hoops boss.
After Alan Brazil voiced his concerns, Ally McCoist reminded him of Ange Postecoglou – we all know how badly that criticism aged.
Gordon Strachan compared Nancy’s start to his own – the Hearts defeat wasn’t enjoyable, but at least it wasn’t a 5-0 loss to Slovakian minnows.
It’s important that the Hoops support doesn’t buy into the media’s early witch-hunt – particularly if Nancy turns the team’s form around.
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