The Columbus Crew boss is set to step into the hot seat following Wednesday’s clash with Dundee
19:00, 01 Dec 2025Updated 19:31, 01 Dec 2025
Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy looks on
Mark McGhee reckons it would be beneficial to incoming Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy if current interim Martin O’Neill took the team for the League Cup final later this month. O’Neill thought Sunday’s 2-1 win over Hibs would be his last time in the dug-out.
That was before the 73-year-old confirmed the paperwork for Columbus Crew gaffer Nancy to take over has not yet been completed and he would get a Parkhead send off against Dundee on Wednesday night. But former Hoops striker McGhee think it’s might be a better option for the Frenchman if his start date is delayed until after the Premier Sports Cup Hampden showdown against St Mirren on Sunday, December 14.
Speaking exclusively to Record Sport he said: ”Well, I’ll tell you what. if I was the new manager coming in, I would think that I would be quite happy for Martin to take the cup final and for me to come in after it because in a sense, therefore, it’s a no-lose situation. If they win the cup and Martin gets the credit, then fantastic.
“But you still get the confidence that that brings when you when you come in as the new manager. And if they don’t win it, then obviously you’ve not started on the first step of losing a cup final, you know.
“If your first game’s losing a cup final, that’s kind of gonna taint you a little bit. So I would have thought that, you know, Martin taking the cup final would have been a good thing.
“But, you know, they obviously thought it through including Martin, and he’s probably thinking the opposite way. He’s obviously confident that the team can win the cup and therefore he’s giving the manager the best possible start he can give him by, you know, the first thing he does is win a cup you know, which if that’s the way it pans out, I don’t know if it’s ever been done before at Celtic but it would be a great start for the new manager.”
McGhee, like most of the Celtic supporters doesn’t claim to know much about the new manager, but he expects that the defending champions will retain their crown.
Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill waves to the fans (Image: PA)
The forward – who netted 27 goals in 87 games for the club – hopes Nancy can forge a reputation for himself in Scotland and on the continent.
But he does think it will not will be until next season that Nancy’s influence will be fully realised as he settles into life in Glasgow.
He said: “I don’t really know a lot about him. As I understand it, he has a bit of a relationship, with the lad Tisdale, you know, who’s Head of Football Operations obviously he’s convinced about his pedigree. I don’t know anything about him.
“I mean, hopefully a breath of fresh air, you know. He’s somebody that the punters don’t really know and if he can really hit the ground running and, breathe a bit of confidence and continue what Martin’s done there, in these last few weeks, then he can get himself a good start in the club between now and the end of the season.
“And then they can start to establish again being the dominant force because there’s no doubt about it that, you know, Hearts and even Rangers, I mean, what are Rangers sitting, third at the moment?
“You know certainly Hearts have shown that they can challenge a little bit. I still think that Celtic will win the league, I think that between now and the end of the season, the new manager has a chance to establish himself and then really kick on the following season.”