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- 18 hours ago
What Wilfried Nancy must learn from Ange Postecoglou to succeed at Celtic
Robin Bairner
- 12 Dec 2025 06:49 GMT
- 4 min read
News
New Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy can learn a valuable lesson from Ange Postecoglou’s time in charge of the Parkhead club, according to former Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Nancy became the first Celtic boss in history to lose his first two matches in charge on Thursday as the Glasgow giants lost 3-0 to Roma in the Europa League after being beaten by Hearts in the Premiership on Sunday.
A dreadful first-half display saw the home side trail by three at the break, immediately ramping up the pressure on the Frenchman, who arrived last week from the Columbus Crew in MLS.
Nancy has wasted little time trying to put his own stamp on his side, employing a 3-4-3 formation that it appears the players are struggling to cope with.
Hart revealed that Postecoglou had similar teething issues and that the Australian’s persistence and refusal to back down from his doubters – which included members of the Celtic team at the time – was critical in turning his fortunes around to make him one of the most revered Parkhead bosses of recent times.
The ex-England goalkeeper says that this is an example that Nancy needs to follow.
Speaking on TNT Sports, former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov said: “I used to play under a manager and sometimes you start to question things. There were questions about Ange Postecoglou when he came to the club, but when he passed messages, you believed in it. You went and did that, and you stuck with it. At the moment, we don’t see this from the players. And this is a big issue.”
Nancy must stick to his guns, says Hart
Hart offered his assessment of Ange Postecoglou’s early days to give Celtic fans hope that Nancy's situation can be turned around.
“We had a great example of that,” he said. “We lost 1-0 away at Livingston on the plastic pitch, trying to play how Ange had asked us to play four or five games in.
“We were getting beat, like tonight, getting hit from behind, losing the ball. ‘Maybe we need a little Plan B in these situations, gaffer.’
“Before we could even say it, the finger was out. ‘Absolutely not. This is how I want you to play, and you do it in any situation, and you believe in it.’
“That meant the world to me. Sometimes I was stood on the ball: ‘Do I go long, I don’t know if anyone wants it.’ Now I know, ‘I’m giving you the ball. You’re getting the ball and you better show for me because he’s coming for you. It’s not on me.’
“These are the messages that need to be clear when you get in and you start building a new system. That’s what the new manager’s got to do. He’s got to make them believe and take the repercussions out of it for the players.”
Nancy’s whirlwind start as Celtic manager continues on Sunday with a League Cup final clash against St Mirren. Failure to win that will really see the pressure ramp up on him rapidly.
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Wilfried Nancy has already made his biggest mistake as Celtic manager
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