Wilfried Nancy faces the game of all games this weekend as Celtic face Rangers.
It is the third Glasgow derby of the season, with Celtic winning one and drawing the other, but the mood going into the game couldn’t be further from happy.
Nancy sensationally claimed he wasn’t surprised by the loss against Motherwell as the Hoops lost further ground in their quest to dethrone Hearts from top spot in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers have looked far better under Danny Rohl than they ever did when Russell Martin was in charge, but losing to the Ibrox club is inexcusable.
That first fixture is always daunting, but how did Nancy’s predecessors get on? We look back at every Celtic manager’s first game against Rangers since 2000.
What is your favourite goal against Rangers?
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Martin O’Neill – Celtic 6-2 Rangers, August 2000
As far as first Glasgow derby games go, they don’t get much better than this.
Martin O’Neill was tasked with toppling a dominant Rangers side and did so in stylish fashion as the Hoops hammered their rivals.
This was also the iconic game where Henrik Larsson pulled off an audacious chip in a game that fans won’t ever forget.
Gordon Strachan – Rangers 3-1 Celtic, August 2005
Following the success of the O’Neill era, Gordon Strachan was hoping he could keep that run going with his own version.
That wasn’t to be though as Celtic proved to be second best, with the writing seemingly already on the wall for the Scotsman after a 5-0 Champions League defeat against Artmedia Bratislava.
Thankfully he was able to recover and guide Celtic to the league title, but the loss was a sore one to take.
Tony Mowbray – Rangers 2-1 Celtic, October 2009
Tony Mowbray was great as a player for Celtic, but couldn’t quite transfer that to his brief time in the dugout.
Mowbray had started strongly with five wins from six in domestic competitions and the loss at Ibrox was the first of his tenure.
Things dropped off, though, as Mowbray took one point from the three games against Rangers before being dismissed in January.
Neil Lennon – Celtic 2-1 Rangers, May 2010
Neil Lennon was tasked with replacing Mowbray for the remainder of the season but had to wait for his first game in the dugout against Rangers.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
The former midfielder enjoyed the perfect derby day result, though, as the Bhoys beat Rangers thanks to goals from Lee Naylor and Marc Antoine-Fortune.
Lennon was given the job permanently off the back of that and enjoyed plenty more results like this.
Ronny Deila – Celtic 2-0 Rangers, February 2015
Unlike most managers, Ronny Deila had the unique experience of facing a Rangers side languishing in the divisions below the Hoops.
A Scottish League cup semi-final meeting presented him with the chance at Hampden Park and the difference in quality showed.
Kris Commons and Leigh Griffiths ensured that the Bhoys would be heading back to Hampden Park for the final.
Brendan Rodgers – Celtic 5-1 Rangers, September 2016
A five-star performance in Brendan Rodgers’ side was the perfect way to introduce himself to the Celtic faithful.
Moussa Dembele was the star of the show that afternoon and scored a perfect hat trick to send their rivals packing.
How many Celtic players have scored a hat trick against Rangers?
Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images
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Scott Sinclair and Stuart Armstrong were also on the scoresheet, and set the tone for a period of dominance when it came to facing Rangers.
Ange Postecoglou – Rangers 1-0 Celtic, August 2021
Ange Postecoglou will have sympathy with Nancy over his start to life at Celtic after struggling to impress in his opening few weeks.
Losing against Rangers could have been the nail in the coffin for the Australian as they fell to a 1-0 defeat, but that was left in the past as the Hoops turned things around and looked the better side.
Celtic only lost one more league game between then and the end of the season, proving it was the right choice to stick with him.
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