New Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy says he will not 'waste time' worrying about negative reaction following his debut defeat to Hearts
Wilfried Nancy insists he won’t ‘waste time’ worrying about the negative reaction that followed his disastrous debut as Celtic boss.
The 48-year-old Frenchman kicked off his reign just a few days after being appointed with a 2-1 home defeat to Hearts last Sunday, which saw the Parkhead side fall three points adrift of the Premiership leaders with a game in hand.
Much was made in the media of Nancy using a hand-held tactics board at the side of the pitch during the game to inform his players of changes, while one radio pundit even questioned his choice of green trainers.
It was a tough introduction to Scottish football for the former Columbus Crew and Montreal manager, particularly after 73-year-old interim boss Martin O’Neill had steadied the ship following Brendan Rodgers’ departure and helped cut the Tynecastle side’s lead from nine points to zero before last weekend’s showdown.
However, Nancy says he will ignore the fallout from that defeat, and revealed he had already chosen not to look at social media during his spell in the MLS.
Speaking ahead of Thursday night's Europa League clash with Roma in Glasgow, he said: ‘People deserve the right to talk.
Wilfried Nancy at his press conference ahead of Europa League clash with Roma
Nancy drew flak over everything from his tactics board to his trainers following defeat to Hearts last Sunday
‘I’m going to dress one way, maybe they are going to say that they don’t like the way I dress, so I don’t waste time on that.
‘If I use it (the tactics board), it’s because it’s good for me. Simple as that and I’m not saying that I’m going to use it all the time. I’m going to be really honest with you.
‘When I decided to become a coach - sorry, when I had the opportunity to become a coach - I was an assistant coach for seven years, so I worked with many coaches. So I always told myself that, when you become a coach, cut everything. So this is what I did.
‘So, on Twitter, I cut everything, regarding my name, regarding the club, regarding what people say, because they have the right to say something.
‘This is part of the job. That’s why we study for that. And, after that, I’m not here to comment on everything.
‘We can go to a restaurant together and maybe you’re going to say that you like the food and I’m going to say, I don’t like it. You know what I mean?
‘So, at the end of the day, this is part of the job and, me, I control what I can control, to be good with my players, with my club, with the people that I work with. And to maximise our chance to win games by having a good performance.’
Some critics likened Nancy to sacked Rangers boss Russell Martin when the Frenchman insisted after the Hearts game that performances were more important than winning or losing.
Wilfried Nancy looks much happier as he welcomes his Celtic players to training
Nancy revealed his mother told him he had bags under his eyes after first few days in charge of Celtic
The Celtic boss risked further comparisons with Martin yesterday when he revealed that his mother was concerned about the effects the whirlwind start to his Parkhead career is having on him, continuing with tonight’s European clash and then followed by the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden on Sunday.
He said: “My mum told me that I have bags (under my eyes).
‘I said: “Yeah, mummy, I just came in, jet-lagged, trying to anticipate everything”.
‘But, again, this is part of our job. I’m really excited by that. So, I try to stay at peace with myself, at peace with you.
‘I try to open my eyes to understand the culture. Try to open my eyes to also understand the context. And, after that, I’m going to do what I used to do in terms of the way I want to play, because this is a lifestyle.
‘This is not something that I’m trying to cope (with). This is something that I feel. After that, we’ll see.’
