Outthought, Outfought, Outclassed: Nancy’s Celtic Capitulate in Second-Half Horror show

Defensive disarray, lack of quality in front of goal, and a fraud of a manager undo a promising first-half display to see Celtic lose 3-1 to rivals Rangers at Celtic Park

There are defeats that sting, and there are defeats that define eras. What unfolded at Ibrox today was the latter, a collapse so inexcusable it should bring Wilfried Nancy’s tenure as Celtic manager to an abrupt, merciless end. Celtic didn’t just lose to Rangers; they surrendered. A timid, fragile, unrecognisable side that wilted under pressure came out in the second half and betrayed everything that was achieved in the first half of today’s derby game.

For the first minutes, Celtic looked alive. Yang’s thunderous finish should have been the platform for domination, a statement of superiority in a derby that matters more than any other. But true to form under Nancy, the hope of a derby win against all odds disappeared in dramatic fashion and the rot resurfaced. Auston Trusty’s free header missed. Johnny Kenny’s wastefulness summed up a forward department left starved of real quality since Kyogo’s departure a year ago. That fault lies as much on the board as it does on Nancy’s. How this club continues to operate without a main striker by choice is beyond dereliction of duty. It is criminal. It is endemic of a board downsizing the playing squad when it was not needed given the revenue being generated. Yang’s superb Archie Gemmill-esque run past 4 Rangers players and firing high into the goal past Butland was one of FIVE chances that Celtic had in the first half - yet the failure to capitalise on our dominance would once again come back to bite us on the arse.

Whatever Nancy said at half time clearly had an effect on the players. They came out a different side altogether as did Rangers. Defensive naivety in its purest form. Ralston asleep. Schmeichel’s passing and positioning reckless. Once Rangers smelled blood, they tore into Celtic’s soft underbelly with ease. Youssef Chermiti, a player written off by his own fans weeks ago, punished the chaos with ruthless simplicity - twice. By the time young Mikey Moore buried the third, it wasn’t just a derby lost; it was a statement of Celtic’s decay.

Nancy’s reaction afterward was telling. He cowardly walked down the tunnel after the full time whistle. He refused to interact with his players, refused to face the wrath of the fan base, and decided to go and hide in the underbelly of Celtic Park. Speaking to the press afterwards he was evasive, delusional, and hollow all the while trying to pass the buck as well.

“It’s not about tactics,” he insisted. “It’s about moments.” No, Wilfried, it’s about your inability to organise, to react, to lead. To watch your team disintegrate, again and again, while hiding behind talk of “details” is to admit the job was always too big for you. That you are out of your depth and a fraud. Six defeats in eight matches would bury any Celtic manager of repute. It must bury this one.

Yet, Nancy is not the only one who should be for the chop. The rot at Celtic Park starts higher up. The same board that replaced Martin O’Neill - who as interim had won seven of eight, including a derby win and a European triumph against Feyenoord - with an MLS manager finishing 7th are now watching this slow-motion implosion with their hands in their pockets and their heads buried in their mobiles. These are the same charlatans, protected by Dermot Desmond, who sold Kyogo without a replacement, gambled on bargain-bin players in the summer, paying over the odds for duds after failing to qualify for the Champions League, and handing the role of hiring Rodgers’ replacement to a guy calling himself a Football Doctor after working in the English lower leagues and after disastrous spells at MK Dons, Bristol Rovers, and Stevenage. This board have given Nancy a squad barely fit to compete, let alone dominate. Yet Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney managed to get the best out of them in a short space of time.

Wilfried Nancy should not survive this result - he should have been sacked long before this afternoon’s game - not after the scale of this capitulation and not after the string of failures he has had. He’s lost the fans. He’s clearly lost the dressing room. The same stands that roar Celtic on now seethe with rage, turning their chants toward the board and the manager to get out of their club.

Celtic need change now. Wholesale, ruthless, intent-driven change. Anything less is negligence by this board as the club custodians who are already clearly not fit for purpose - we will almost certainly be six points behind league leaders Hearts by tonight and with Rangers level on points with us - the league isn’t over just yet. But under this charlatan and fraud of a manager, Celtic have more chance of finishing fifth than they do second let alone win the league.

Il est temps que Wilfried Nancy retourne en MLS, d’où il a sa place.