Celtic have sacked manager Wilfried Nancy after just 33 days in charge, the shortest tenure in the club's history. The French coach was appointed from MLS side Columbus Crew on 4 December but lasted only eight matches, losing six of them. A 3-1 home defeat to Rangers on Saturday proved the final straw, with Celtic leading 1-0 at half-time before collapsing in the second half.
Martin O'Neill, who had previously served as interim manager from October, has been reinstalled until the end of the season. The 73-year-old had won seven of eight games in his first spell, moving Celtic back into title contention, but now inherits a side six points behind leaders Hearts. His assistant Shaun Maloney also returns.
Nancy's reign was marked by a calamitous defence that conceded 18 goals in eight games, one more than in the previous 24 matches. He became the first Celtic manager to lose his first two matches and suffered a humiliating League Cup final defeat to St Mirren. A 2-1 loss to Dundee United meant Celtic lost four consecutive games for the first time since 1978.
In addition to Nancy, assistants Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen and Maxime Chalier have left, along with head of football operations Paul Tisdale. Tisdale, a former Exeter City manager, had been a target of fan criticism over poor recruitment. Celtic have now parted with two permanent managers this season, following Brendan Rodgers' departure, and chairman Peter Lawwell stepped down amid boardroom unrest.
