The former interim boss has pleaded for punters to get behind his successor for the midweek trip to face Dundee Utd at Tannadice
11:21, 15 Dec 2025Updated 14:29, 15 Dec 2025
Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy
Martin O’Neill has pleaded with Celtic fans to hold fire and get behind Wilfried Nancy.
The Frenchman is under fire after losing his first three games in charge of the club – the worst start of any Hoops boss.
But O’Neill has called on the supporters to get behind the new man ahead of Wednesday night’s trip to face Dundee Utd at Tannadice.
A win would see the champions cut the gap to Premiership leaders Hearts to just three points and while confidence is low, O’Neill wants to see punters rally behind Nancy to give him the best chance of ending his current losing run.
“Just give him a chance please,” he told talkSPORT. “Give him a chance.
“They’ve got a big game coming up in a couple of days as well, so just hold fire.
“It will be difficult of course. But whenever you start to lose football games, confidence drops and it becomes more difficult to stop a losing streak.
“So it is a very, very big game for them. It’s a match that maybe some time ago they would have gone into with some sort of trepidation, but not complete and utter fear. But it’s a difficult one.
“Listen, when I had players like Larsson, going to Tannadice was still very difficult.”
O’Neill was then asked if he would return to Celtic for a second stint this season if Nancy doesn’t last and eventually gave an answer.
He said: “That would be hypothetical. Totally hypothetical. It’s like asking me is my next birthday 74? Which it would be.
“It has reinvigorated me, there’s no question about that. When you’re dealing with young people, it does make you feel much younger.
“I suppose deep down really, if the manager of Roma Gasperini, who’s only about 26 months younger than me – might be more – can, then why not? Why not?”
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