Any lingering notion that Wilfried Nancy requires patience for his project at Celtic Park to bear fruit has been utterly extinguished. The debate is over. The only question remaining is how swiftly the club's hierarchy will act to remove him and commence a new era.
A Managerial Reign Unravelling at Alarming Speed
The scale of Celtic's decline under Nancy has been nothing short of staggering. Having once held a nine-point advantage over their arch-rangers, they now lead only on goal difference after a devastating 3-1 home defeat. Nancy's record stands at a dire two wins from eight matches, with a shocking 18 goals conceded. In the league, his side has taken just six points from a possible 18 – form synonymous with a relegation scrap, not title contenders.
This latest capitulation followed a painfully familiar script for the embattled manager. As in previous losses to Hearts and Dundee United, Celtic dominated the first half, going ahead through a spectacular strike from Hyun-jun Yang, only to implode after the interval.
Rangers' Second-Half Masterclass Seals the Deal
Danny Rohl's Rangers side, building on a run of one defeat in 11 games, were utterly transformed after the break. They levelled within five minutes of the restart through Youssef Chermiti, who capitalised on slack marking. The much-criticised Portuguese striker then showcased rare composure to put Rangers ahead, seizing on a catastrophic throw-in error by Tony Ralston and Callum McGregor.
Any hope of a Celtic fightback was extinguished when Mikey Moore's driven shot, which Kasper Schmeichel will feel he should have saved, found the net for a decisive third. Rangers controlled the final stages with ease, exposing a Celtic side devoid of confidence and ideas.
The Inevitable Fallout and O'Neill Waiting in the Wings
The consequence of this abject performance appears inevitable. Nancy, who pleaded for time just days ago, has no credible claim for more. The tangible progress required to justify such leeway is completely absent. In stark contrast, Martin O'Neill's interim record of seven wins from eight games looms large, and a desperate SOS to the former manager seems a matter of when, not if.
Celtic's tactical setup, featuring Auston Trusty as a solitary central defender in a back three, was picked apart. While the first-half performance promised much, the second-half collapse laid bare the team's fragility and the manager's inability to affect the game.
The anger inside Celtic Park was palpable and directed squarely at the dugout. In football's ruthless economy, the manager pays the price. For Wilfried Nancy, his ill-fated stint in Glasgow looks to be reaching its terminal conclusion, while the architects of the club's wider decline remain, for now, untouched.
