Celtic

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Martin O'Neill has held his first media conference since returning for a second spell as Celtic interim manager this season.

Here are the key points:

• O'Neill begins with a joke: "Gosh, I had a seance last night with Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra - and both were really disappointed because I've made more comebacks than them."

• On being back, O'Neill says it feels "every bit as strange as it was the first time" and adds: "I think if you ever needed proof of anything, we're in the results business, you have to win some football matches."

• While it is "really nice" to return, O'Neill expresses sympathy for Wilfried Nancy, who lasted just 33 days in charge: "I genuinely feel for a manager who has had little time to get his feet under the table, put his plans across and things like that." O'Neill later backs Nancy to "come again and be a really good coach or manager".

• While O'Neill's previous temporary stint this season felt like being a "supply teacher", now he knows he is in charge until the end of the season but says "if I don't win the football matches, I come under pressure as well."

• O'Neill had a meeting with the players this morning and says that while they are "naturally disappointed with the recent results and the way things have gone", they are in "decent spirits" and he is sure they are "up for the battle ahead".

• On the call from Celtic's principal shareholder Dermot Desmond asking him to return: "Regardless of the results here, you're still a bit surprised. I don't speak to Dermot that often in that sense, but if that's what he wanted to do and that's what the board wanted to do, then I was happy enough to go with it."

• The 73-year-old doubts whether he would have "the capacity" to stay in the job beyond the summer, adding: "I'm 112 on my next birthday, so I think time is kind of running out for me. But I'd like to try and do well in it and who knows what the board might think. But I would not be - and I'm serious about this - I wouldn't be thinking any longer than the end of the season for me, regardless of what happens."

• O'Neill says he has not been set any targets by Desmond but knows Celtic have to "fight back after adversity".

• Celtic face a "difficult task" to win the league, with O'Neill adding: "No bones about it, there are fewer games to play now than before and Rangers must have gained a psychological advantage there over us. But we still have to catch Hearts, and the way that Motherwell played the other evening against Celtic, they might well be the best footballing side in the league."

• On transfers, and with head of football operations Paul Tisdale having also been sacked, O'Neill says Celtic "definitely need to supplement the squad" as quickly as possible and his assistant Shaun Maloney has "been working in the background on certain things".

• O'Neill adds: "I will rely on Shaun and Mark [Fotheringham] and Stephen [McManus], their opinion on players. But eventually it will be down to me as much as anything else. Or if they don't do well, I'll blame Shaun. And if they do brilliantly, then I shall take all the credit."

• The Northern Irishman is "hoping" for a busy transfer window and says: "If the board were to listen to me, we would have about 56 players, so I will try to narrow it down. I know what positions we need to strengthen in and that's what we're going to try and do. It's a difficult window, and in terms of buying players, things like this, that'll be difficult, but we do need to supplement the squad."

• O'Neill would "love" to keep Daizen Maeda - who wanted to leave in the summer - but says: "I just came in last night, so there's little point in me saying, 'Oh, he's really happy, he wants to stay here', and then tomorrow morning he's gone. I don't know, I'll have a word and find out what he's thinking, even if it's through his agent. I think there was a bit of disappointment with him, because the move didn't go through [in the summer], but he's got going again. It would be actually really important for him to stay, if that's the case, but I genuinely don't know."

• After Nancy immediately implemented a 3-4-2 formation, O'Neill intends to go back to "what worked for us" during his first spell this season, adding: "Again, it's players, we can get bogged down with the systems and stuff like this, but whatever system we do decide to go with, just let's not have any excuses, let's go and try and win."

• On his family's reaction to him taking the job again: "Exactly the same. Honestly, my two daughters really, really delighted: 'Go for it dad!' And my wife said, 'You'll mess it up!' She said that the last time - she's claiming she didn't, but she did, so it's the same thing - but I think there's a real, genuine excitement about this, so go for it."

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Jahmai Simpson-Pusey will spend the rest of the season with Cologne after the Manchester City defender's disappointing loan spell with Celtic was cut short.

The 20-year-old's only Celtic appearance came in the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in November during Martin O'Neill's first stint as interim manager.

Simpson-Pusey completed a medical over the weekend and has now joined his new Cologne team-mates at a training camp in La Nucia, Spain, during the Bundesliga's winter break.

"The move to Cologne is a fresh start for me, and one I'm really looking forward to," Simpson-Pusey said on the German club's website. "I want to play as much as possible here and help FC to reach their goals this season."

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Nancy on his appointment

"I know the history, I know the values of Celtic and I know what is expected of me on this journey. I know what Celtic means to so many people and my number one aim will be simple - to give our fans a strong, exciting, attacking, winning football team they can be so proud of."

Chief executive Michael Nicholson

"We have been aware of Wilfried and his quality of work for some time - he was our number one candidate when we began the process of appointing a new manager."

Major shareholder Dermot Desmond

"He is a man who absolutely understands the demands at Celtic. Everyone at the club will unite strongly behind Wilfried as we move forward and we will ensure we will give him our unswerving support as we strive to achieve our objectives.

Nancy on his style of play

"We want to take care of the ball. The ball is the only tool in our life, without talking, that we can connect people. So can we use the ball to create emotions? Can we use the ball to score goals? Can we use the ball to have messages between us?"

Nancy on losing to Hearts in his first match in charge

"Listen, I'm not about losing or winning. I'm about having a good performance. I want to win but for me it's about individually what we can do better. The most important thing for me is if we give everything as a player individually."

Nancy after becoming the first Celtic manager to lose his opening two games

"I expected it. Come on guys, I just came one week ago. A few players played six games in a row, we have injured players, we have big games coming."

Nancy, after three opening defeats, on whether he should have waited to change the team's formation

"It's totally normal that people criticise me or say certain things regarding the system or the way I play because I don't win. But I'm going beyond winning. It's about character, it's about personality, it's about coherence."

Nancy when asked if he had underestimated Scottish football after losing his fourth match, against Dundee United

"No, I know Scottish football. I know the way it is. I come from France. I come from Europe. I was close when I was a player to sign with Carlisle."

Nancy after two late goals against 10-man Aberdeen earned his first win

"I don't believe in luck but since I've been here I haven't had luck."

Nancy after defeat by Motherwell

"I knew that this could be a bit difficult because of the way they play and where we are at this moment."

Nancy before the visit of Rangers

"I know that I don't have time, because this is the way it is in my job. So, yes, I want to ask you, give me time, and you see my team."

Nancy after 3-1 derby defeat in his final game

"The level that we had at certain moments was really, really, really high. We are really close to things turning around. But yeah, for the moment, details, details, details."

Did Wilfried Nancy's refusal to "bend to pragmatism" mean the Frenchman was always doomed to failure at Celtic?

Nancy has departed after losing six of his eight games in charge, with last weekend's 3-1 derby defeat at home to Rangers the final straw.

Football writer Stephen McGowan has highlighted the "amazing parallels" with Ruben Amorim, who was also dismissed by Manchester United on Monday.

"Nancy will go down as the worst Celtic manager in history," McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I don't think there's any way of getting away from that. I think statistically and in every other metric and measurement as well.

"I was actually quite struck by the amazing parallels of Amorim at Manchester United. Sacked on the same day, both appointed mid-season.

"Both idealists who came in determined to play 3-4-3 come what may, at all costs. And both sacked there the same day because they refused to bow or bend or accept the fact the players they had at their disposal just weren't suited to that system.

"And it does seem to be a trait of the modern manager, doesn't it? This inability or unwillingness to bow or bend to pragmatism.

"We saw Danny Rohl do it to some extent for Rangers at the weekend in the second half. And it's just something that Nancy refused to do.

"Ultimately, be it Nancy, be it Amorim, you have to look at the people who are running the operation, who appointed them in the first place, and who thought it was a good idea to bring in such idealistic managers in November because be it through timing, be it through personnel, whatever, it was never destined to work. It was craziness."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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I go back to Wilfried Nancy's quote - "I'm not about losing or winning, I'm about having a good performance" - and a few others he came out with, which just reflected a guy who was in the wrong movie, who didn't know the landscape that he was now in.

Maybe he was given this advice. Maybe he was told there are a number of things you can't say in this city, and "it's not about winning and losing" is top of the list.

Maybe somebody told him that. But if they did, he hasn't listened. This manager clearly believed he had time. He believed he was going to get patience to rebuild to whatever vision he claimed he could see, but nobody else could see.

It's an awful lot of contradictions and confusion still now that he's gone, but it's relevant to what's left behind because there's people on that board who ratified Paul Tisdale's advice that this guy was their guy. And clearly, it was a disastrous appointment.

Martin O'Neill should make things better - but he needs new players as well. We all remember his recent spell where he won every game domestically, but some of those games were desperate grinds.

He got them through because he's Martin O'Neill and because the team were playing hard for him.

He's now got more of those games coming up to the end of the season. And I don't think he can rely on just being Martin O'Neill and everything will be fine. He needs a cavalry here.

Listen to more Celtic analysis on Tuesday's episode of the Scottish football podcast

Here are some of your views on Celtic's dismissal of manager Wilfried Nancy and head of football operations Paul Tisdale, plus the return of Martin O'Neill for a second interim stint.

John: How Nancy got the job is testament to the board sitting on their hands and not spending money. Lack of buying a centre forward has brought the house crumbling down around their ears. Martin is great in short term but how about Shaun Maloney and Scott Brown long term?

Len: O'Neill did a brilliant job rescuing Celtic's season, and didn't receive the respect he deserved. He must now be properly rewarded, with a salary and status equal to former director of football Paul Tisdale. Maloney should also receive the same contractual status and remuneration as the disastrous Nancy. It's only fair. O'Neill and Maloney are two proven international-class footballers and coaches. Tisdale and Nancy were charlatans. Who appointed them? And for what purpose?

Tom: Martin will see us through and show what we can do to get back on song, Europe and league title are still feasible with a steady hand in charge. Look to the long term very carefully now we have given Martin the reins for this season at least.

David: Did anyone believe that Nancy would be a success? Tom English was spot on with his "hipster vibe" summary of Tisdale. Why has football become in thrall to these self-titled 'doctors' of football? Football is a simple game complicated by fools opined Bill Shankly. Never has a truer word been spoken.

George: The board need to get off their high horse and hold direct talks with the fan groups.

Chris: Correct decision on Nancy but we had nowhere else to turn but reinstall O'Neill. Who on earth would want the job? I'm just relieved to know Nancy did not get money to spend in the window. There are others in the boardroom who should do the decent thing after this appointment.

Paul: Tisdale and those who backed his decisions are responsible for Nancy's demise and it's only right Tisdale has gone. He was never good enough, and those who appointed him should be going too. The squad isn't good enough, too many average players.

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Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin believes the timing could be right for national manager Steve Clarke to take over as Celtic boss for the 2026-27 season. (Sun), external

Red Bull Bragantino's Uruguay winger Ignacio Laquintana, 26, is keen to join Celtic. (National - subscription required), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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While the choice to bring back Martin O'Neill is the right one, Celtic will not defend their title unless the squad is strengthened this month, says the club's former striker Chris Sutton.

But, with head of football operations Paul Tisdale removed from his post, who will lead the hunt for new players?

Mexico defender Julian Araujo arrived on loan from Bournemouth prior to the departures of Tisdale and manager Wilfried Nancy and a few more new faces are necessary, according to Sutton.

"The thought process of the club, I'm hoping, is short-term," Sutton told 5 Live Sport's Monday Night Club. "It's just about winning the league now, nothing else matters.

"I do think it's the right decision.

"It's okay bringing him back, but if they do not recruit well in January, then Martin will be stuffed.

"There's not a cat in hell's chance they win the league if they don't recruit. The squad is bang average and it needs improving."

Sutton went on to describe O'Neill as the "safest and most sensible option" and was scathing in his assessment of the departed Tisdale.

"He's a self-proclaimed doctor," Sutton told Sky Sports. "Doctor Dolittle, I think he was at Celtic. Nobody knew what he actually was doing at the club.

"By all accounts, it was a case of him who had a large say in bringing Wilfried Nancy in. If he was in charge of recruitment over the summer, that was particularly poor. So it's the right decision to part ways.

"But it certainly puts Celtic under pressure now in having to move quick in terms of recruitment, because there's absolutely no doubt that this squad needs strengthening in January and strengthening quickly."

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Martin O'Neill knows Celtic are in for a "big, big fight" as the veteran manager bids to revive the champions following the departure of Wilfried Nancy.

Describing his return as a "wee bit strange", the 73-year-old will be back in the dugout for Saturday's home game with Dundee United.

And O'Neill must lift a side that has won just two of the eight games played since his previous interim period ended to make way for Nancy.

"I used the phrase restoration of confidence when I first came in and I suppose that will be the message again," he told CelticTV.

"The players can play.

"The lovely thing about it is that players you know are very fine footballers can come back and play in the manner they have done in the past.

"We know we are in a big, big fight. We're going to try and win the league and it won't be easy. We have to be up to the challenge."

O'Neill, 73, has been installed until the end of the season.

"That conversation with (principal shareholder) Dermot Desmond was one that I think maybe might go through to the end of the season, giving the football club time to really look around, get someone in who's going to be here for the next three or four years," he said.

"But listen, I'm in the football business. I might not see it through to the end of the season. You know, you have to win football games."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

You can only achieve culture change if you take people with you.

What Wilfried Nancy was trying to do - significantly alter the side's style from day one - required a minimum of two things: buy-in from the players and instant results.

The reason the Frenchman is now the shortest serving permanent manager in the long history of the football club is that he clearly had neither.

In the end it all boiled down to yet another massive gamble from those running the club. A 33-day experiment - a grand leap of faith - which blew up in their faces in spectacular fashion.

Nancy wanted to play a certain way, in a certain formation regardless of whether he had players able turn his vision into a workable reality.

Rather than use what he had to the best of their ability, he tried to shoehorn round pegs into square holes and his defence, using the word loosely, wasn't able to stop conceding goals.

Nancy was a record-breaker. The first time a Celtic manager had ever lost their first two matches, never mind four. Six defeats from eight games all in.

The opportunity to win the season's first piece of silverware blown in the League Cup final after the interim manager had taken care of Rangers in the semis.

The other side of the city had its revenge over the weekend. A sweet, significant three points at the home of their bitter rivals. The final straw for a beleaguered, under-fire Celtic board who haven't just put Nancy out of his misery.

The club's head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, who had the connection to the Frenchman in the first place, has also been sacked.

Celtic fans have had several figures from the hierarchy in their sights lately. They've now watched chairman Peter Lawwell step back before the hasty departures of Tisdale and Nancy.

A penny for the thoughts of Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay, chief executive and chief finance officer respectively. A section of the support will view this as three down, two to go.

Of course, the clamour for the Celtic manager to be sacked had reached fever pitch. Seasoned football pundits confidently asserting Nancy was done prior to kick-off in the derby, others joining in once the dejected Frenchman trooped up the tunnel.

There was no coming back from another defeat. The optics and results were woeful. He took the momentum built up under Martin O'Neill's interim stewardship and flushed it down the toilet. Celtic's renewed confidence shredded in little over a month.

It's amazing to think it was only 3 December that Nancy officially swapped Columbus Crew and Major League Soccer for the Glasgow goldfish bowl, taking charge the following day. Eight chaotic matches later, and he's gone.

Those six defeats, and particularly the manner of the last one in the derby, rendered things unsustainable. His position long since untenable.

Prior to the two recent defeats against Motherwell and Rangers, he'd already spilled half of the available points in his first four Premiership outings and lost the League Cup to St Mirren. It turns out that is indeed a big enough sample size to warrant a sacking.

It's quite the embarrassment for a club already at odds with a large section of their own fanbase, furious with the board for the flawed recruitment of the past year and the failure, as they see it, to grow and progress following three consecutive years of Champions League football.

The curious thing in all this is that Celtic appeared to have stumbled on a successful formula immediately prior to Nancy getting the job.

A club veteran and favourite, O'Neill, winning seven out of eight, restoring confidence and hope and mentoring a potential new generation of Celtic coaches in Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus.

It wasn't broken but Celtic decided to fix it. Do they now go back to O'Neill and ask him to do it all again?

Who'll sort out the recruitment side of things, with Celtic desperate for at least a couple of strikers and some fresh blood in a good few other positions as well?

The next few days should be absolutely fascinating in this most extraordinary of seasons in Scottish football.

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland

So many people will look at the results of Wilfried Nancy's tenure as being the reason for his departure. And for the most part they'd be right.

However, the manner of those defeats is what did for him in the end. A stubbornness to play a system his group was not equipped to, defensively passive and meek, while unconvincing in attack.

Leads were surrendered and against Motherwell they were thoroughly outplayed. Nancy relentlessly argued there was progress, but nobody else could see it.

In a wild and chaotic Scottish football campaign, we now face a scenario where a fourth Old Firm game of the season will be contested by a new pairing of managers for the fourth time when the teams next meet.

Quite incredible. We have never seen anything quite like it.

We asked for your views on the sacking of Wilfried Nancy as Celtic manager after just eight games in charge.

Here's what some of you said:

Anto: Bring back Martin O'Neill to steady the ship again until a new appointment is made.

Jim: It had to happen but what about any planned signings and who takes on poisoned chalice as other board members should be sacked?

Henry: It was inevitable that this would be the outcome, although the team played well at times, the results were just not good enough. His refusal to stick rigidly to his preferred system was a sign of a poor coach, also the sacking of Paul Tisdale is great news too, fan power has worked at last.

Michael D: Out of his depth for sure, but 100% culpability lies with those who sanctioned his hiring. They set him up big time.

Colin: His tactics never worked. He didn't have the respect of the dressing room and was destined to fail. At least the board have made the correct decision with Tisdale going as well. Long way to go to win back the fans but it's a start!

Will: Too little, too late. Nancy will be talked about for decades to come, board should all resign.

John: The majority of supporters will welcome all of these dismissals. Clearly the manager and his staff have been sold a vision by Tisdale that was way off the mark. Fair play to the board but that too needs an overhaul. Onwards.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Former Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon has had his say on the sacking of Wilfried Nancy.

The 43-year-old is currently in his second spell at Hearts but spent six years at Parkhead.

The Tynecastle club now sit six points clear of both Celtic and Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

"It's a results business. It's never nice to see anybody lose their job," Gordon told BBC Scotland. "But from our point of view, it doesn't change anything.

"We'll just concentrate on ourselves and that's all from a Hearts point of view that we'll be focusing on.

"I think whoever comes in, you know the size of Celtic. It's a huge club. They expect to win almost every single match.

"And when that doesn't happen, it's not an enjoyable place to be. For them, it's about starting again. For us, it's just about concentrating on what we've got to do.

"We won't be looking at anybody else outside of our own. We've got a big job to do and that's all we'll focus on."

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Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton reacting to Wilfried Nancy's sacking on Sky Sports: "It's been a really difficult period for Nancy, going in there halfway through a season and losing six of his first eight games.

"It's a little bit similar to the Ruben Amorim situation at Manchester United but in a shorter period. Nancy was fixated on changing Celtic's style, going to 3-4-3, playing in one particular way.

"He just wasn't adaptable. For Celtic to lose six out of eight games and ship as many goals as they did, it was kamikaze stuff."

"As much as you want to give a manager time, Celtic have acted pretty decisively because there's still a league title to win."

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A brief statement of 102 words announced the sacking of manager Wilfried Nancy and head of football operations Paul Tisdale.

Interestingly, there was nothing regarding an interim coaching team, with the club promising "a further update".

Here's the statement in full...

"Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect.

"The club thanks Wilfried for his efforts and wishes him and his family well for the future.

"Wilfried's assistants, Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen, and Maxime Chalier, will also be leaving the club and they take with them our good wishes.

"The club can also confirm that Paul Tisdale has left his position as head of football operations. We thank Paul for the contribution he has made in that role.

"A further update will be provided to supporters as soon as is practical."