EDINBURGH: The newly hired coach is already facing calls to be fired. The chairman has resigned, citing “abuse and threats.” Three directors are said to have been assaulted.
Celtic, the long-time king of Scottish soccer, are embroiled in chaos in what is shaping up to be the most turbulent campaign in Scotland in a generation.
It’s not just Scotland’s national team — heading to a men’s World Cup for the first time since 1998 – that is upsetting the odds this season.
Get this: Neither Celtic nor fierce Glasgow rival Rangers will be top of the Scottish Premiership on Christmas Day and that hasn’t happened since 1993.
That honor will go to Hearts, which hold a six-point lead and are taking advantage of one misstep after another by the so-called “Old Firm” powers to launch an unexpected tilt for the title. Celtic are in second place and Rangers three points further back in third place.
It is an unusual position for Celtic, which have been Scottish champion for 13 of the last 14 years but are imploding this season.
Nancy’s bad start
Celtic might soon be on their third coach of the season.
Wilfried Nancy left Columbus Crew last month to replace Brendan Rodgers, who resigned as manager in October, but has lost his first four matches in charge — including the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday.
The last time Celtic lost four straight games was in 1978.
Nancy has also been mocked in some sections of the Scottish media for using a small tactics board on the sideline during matches.
The Frenchman was named coach of the year in Major League Soccer in 2024 but his final few months in the United States were underwhelming, with the Crew finishing seventh in the regular season and winning just three of their last 12 games in all competitions.
Celtic fans chanted the name of Martin O’Neill, who won seven out of eight matches as interim manager before Nancy’s arrival, during the 2-1 loss at Dundee United on Wednesday.
Celtic host Aberdeen on Sunday and a fifth defeat in a row will leave the club’s board with a decision to make — as if they haven’t enough on their plate already.
Boardroom mess
Celtic’s board has been in the headlines, not least after a coruscating assessment of Rodgers’ tenure by major shareholder Dermot Desmond on the day the Northern Irishman quit.
Desmond described Rodgers’ conduct as “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” and said he “contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club.”
That highlighted the mess Celtic were in, and the resignation on Tuesday of chairman Peter Lawwell added to it. Lawwell, who has been in the post for three years after 18 years as chief executive, cited “abuse and threats” as the reason for his impending departure at the end of the month.
Lawwell had come under increasing pressure following his handling of the club’s abandoned annual general meeting and the appointment of Nancy, as well as Celtic’s failure to qualify for the Champions League and for not getting the team’s summer transfer window targets.
Also on Tuesday, Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson claimed that three of his “colleagues” on the board were “assaulted” after the League Cup final, without disclosing further details.
Nicholson said the abuse was “unacceptable,” adding: “As a board, it strengthens our resolve to do the right thing for Celtic and to take this club forward together for the future.”
With Nancy?
“There’s never an easy time to start at Celtic and it has been challenging. We’ve had some disappointing results, not least on Sunday,” Nicholson said.
“In that respect, I understand that the Celtic support are concerned about where we are. I understand and I respect the right of every supporter to express their discontent and to share that with us, but we know where we want to go and step by step, all of our job is to support Wilfried, his team and the squad to take us where we want to get to.”
Hearts’ chance
Over to Hearts to take advantage, then.
Not since 1985, when Aberdeen were champion under Alex Ferguson, have a team other than Celtic or Rangers been Scottish champion.
The following season, Hearts lost out on winning the title on the final day of the campaign, their 26-game unbeaten run coming to an end after giving up two goals in the last 10 minutes at Dundee. The Edinburgh team’s last league title was in 1960.
The club are under new ownership after Tony Bloom — the billionaire owner of Premier League club Brighton — bought a nearly 30 percent stake.
Brighton have been known for their shrewd recruitment owing to a wide scouting network and Hearts are benefitting from that knowledge.
Beat Rangers on Sunday and Hearts are sure to retain their six-point lead going into Christmas and open up a 12-point gap over Rangers, albeit having played one game more.
It might then be down to Celtic to stop it. Given Celtic’s issues, there’s no guarantee of that.