It’s been a whirlwind first week for Wilfried Nancy and he’s now been given some advice from a former Premier League manager
18:55, 10 Dec 2025Updated 19:31, 10 Dec 2025
Wilfried Nancy watches his Hoops stars in action earlier today
Wilfried Nancy couldn’t have asked for a better job than Celtic to put himself on the map – but he needs to keep things simple if he wants to be a success.
That’s the view of former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood who reckons Nancy could be onto a winner yet.
It’s been an eye-opening first week in the job for the Frenchman and he already admitted himself it’s left him with bags under his eyes. You don’t get away with much in Scotland with Nancy’s tactics board and even his shoes sparking furious debate – with Record Sport columnists Chris Sutton and Ryan Stevenson butting heads over the boss’ dugout debut.
Nancy though is undeterred and said in his press conference ahead of tomorrow night’s Europa League clash with Roma that he’s just focusing on the job in front of him.
Sam Allardyce has been among his critics but former Tottenham and Villa boss Sherwood, speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, has given a more measured take on Nancy’s first week.
He reckons he’s landed in one of the best jobs in Europe – and if he can echo Martin O’Neill by keeping things simple, then could yet be onto a winner.
Sherwood said: “It’s the best job in Europe for me. The best managing (job) in Europe to put yourself back on the map, if you want to get back into the Premier League.
“It’s a huge club, Celtic and Rangers are. Hearts are poking their noses in at the moment.
“You win, or you fail. You have the tools to win. You have the best players. If you do your job right and get the best out of them, you don’t have to be sophisticated. You just have to man manage them, as he (Martin O’Neill) has shown.
“Keep them happy. Keep them fit. Keep on playing to the best of their ability. No square pegs in round holes. Just get the ball into areas. Play on the front foot. You have got the whole crowd behind you. It is the easiest job, in my opinion, in European football, and one of the best jobs, because of the fanbase around the world.
Tim Sherwood on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast(Image: No Tippy Tappy Football podcast)
“My advice to him (Nancy) would be, don’t complicate it. The only thing you would do is end up losing games. You might get the performances, but you might not get the results.
“In the end, when you finish second to Hearts or second to Rangers, you will go and get another job in the MLS. Don’t confuse it. It’s a simple job there. When you do win, you can bounce from there.
“We have seen Brendan do it. We’ve Ange do it. What do you think Ange did? He knew he had the best players. He just said to them, ‘Go and play on the front foot.’ And that’s what they did. They have the best players. It doesn’t matter what formation. If you have the best players, it doesn’t matter how you play, really.”