The Wilfried Nancy debacle: 33 calamitous days in Celtic’s long and storied history which should never be permitted to be forgotten
Eric Knott 
(Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Down through the years of Celtic’s modern history, there have been plenty of calamitous moments and decisions made at the club.
The signing of Tony Cascarino, and the ill-fated Liam Brady experiment.
The appointment of Lou Macari which lasted a bare six months , and the purchases of Carl Muggleton and Wayne Biggins.
The catastrophic John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish expiriment, which resulted in the disastrous signing of a player named Scheidt, and culminated in the Supercallygoballistic humiliation.
The cheap options of Tony Mowbray, Neill Lennon, and Ronny Deila.
European humiliation after European humiliation since 2003.
But nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever trump the appointment of Wilfried Nancy.
It is highly unlikely his unwanted record of six losses in his opening eight games will ever be beaten again in the future of Celtic Football club.
The damage that this 33 day interregnum has caused to Celtic’s title bid for this season remains to be seen.
The damage it has caused to Celtic’s stature and reputation as a club that sees itself as “World class in everything it does”?
Incalcuable.
After this, it is going to be quite some time before Celtic is taken seriously as a club of any stature again.
The fact that Celtic’s virtually anonymous CEO, Michael Nicholson, remains in a job today after this ridiculous affair is totally mind boggling.
In Ireland we had a Taoiseach nicknamed the Teflon Taoiseach.
Bertie Ahern acquired this nickname, because nothing ever stuck to him.
No matter how much shady dealings he got up to in his time as a politician, and boy did he get up to some, nobody was ever actually able make anything stick to him.
If Micheal Nicholson survives the Wilfried Nancy debacle, then I will change his nickname from Silent Mike to Teflon Mike.
Because no matter how much he fucks up, none of it sticks.
Well, at least up to this point, none of the shit that surrounds him has stuck to him and brought about his downfall.
If this whole Nancy affair doesn’t, then he is most definitely made of Teflon.
And if the Celtic CEO survives this, then he is literally untouchable, and that in itself is criminal.
It means he can fuck up to levels hitherto unseen at this club and get away with it.
What we have lost as a club in the last 33 days is hard to quantify.
But we’ll definitely find out in the coming days and months.
In the short term, as I stated earlier, the reputational damage to the club is untold.
Not to mention the money lost by paying Nancy off for his fatal 28 day experiment.
Retaining Michael Nicholson as CEO further reduces the club’s already shot credibility.
Dermot Desmond has to look at this current situation and realise that it is no longer tenable.
Michael Nicholson will now be forever synonymous with the worst managerial appointment in Celtic’s modern history.
If not, our entire history.
Keeping a director with that kind of stigma attached to him is not a good look.
Desmond is surely intelligent enough to see this?
The decline in the club’s fortune under Nicholson has been nothing short of criminal.
The revenue lost in the last year through bad corporate governance rests squarely on his shoulders.
Therefore, he must be seen as nothing but a liability now.
The damage caused in the last 33 days should never be permitted to be forgotten.
And as such, Nicholson cannot be permitted to continue as the club’s CEO.
Any CEO’s remit is to increase revenues at a football club.
Revenues have declined sharply under Nicholson.
Surely that means he is not meeting the criteria of his job description?
Which therefore means his position is untenable?
He cannot be allowed to brazen this out.
The fanbase will not accept it, and neither should the people in the boardroom.
It is imperative that Desmond pulls the plug on this reign of error before it becomes more farcical than it already is.
Nicholson hired Paul Tisdale, and then followed his direction.
Look where that landed us?
The time is now Michael.
Do the decent thing for everyone, including yourself.
Resign.
Key Takeaways
- Celtic Football Club has faced numerous calamitous moments, but the appointment of Wilfried Nancy stands out as particularly disastrous.
- Michael Nicholson, the CEO, remains in place despite overseeing this failure and is now seen as a liability for the club.
- The reputational and financial damage from the Nancy appointment is significant, and Nicholson’s continued leadership undermines the club’s credibility.
- Fans and stakeholders urge Dermot Desmond to reconsider Nicholson’s position due to declining revenues and governance issues.
- The author calls for Nicholson to resign, arguing it is the only respectable course of action for the club’s future.
Teflon Mike . Love it , this could stick.
I tuned in last night Eric, good points made; do you think that the ex Leicester ceo that was at the game after Rodgers left might be brought in during summer and any delay punting nicholson might be around that?
Desmond doesn’t do the day to day stuff. He’ll already be raging at how tisdale has fleeced him by buying players being paid to train only (balikwisha, yamada etc) and I think the point about tisdale probably sugar coating the board and bringing nancy in without an interview is probably on the money. I’m so glad the parasite is gone though, the most disliked employee in our history. I think nicholson will also go, but maybe summer time. Just basing this on:
1 – now that Martin is back, there is stability with the players
2 – with point 1, that means he has power to say who he wants and he might have at least got that approval from Desmond (although I suspect it’ll be loan signings till summer)
3 – Desmond probably thinks ah, this is why I had Pete, he could take charge, (never seeing how lawwell’s irresistible need to meddle put a spanner in the works so many times) unlike his hand puppet but there’s been enough change, I’ll let him go at the end of the season
4 – I think Martin would be a good shout for Dir of Football in future. He probably has a good life in England with his wife, a job that didn’t involve living in Glasgow full time would probably work better for him, also at his age
HH
They board might think the sacking of Nancy and tisdale is enough sacrificial lamb for the supporters, no chance we have more of an acquired palette, we want succulent lamb, Nicholson on a fkn plate , he doesn’t have anywhere to hide , we want him gone, the Frank Spencer of the celtic board , incompetent is an understatement.