Wilfried Nancy has described his 33-day tenure as Celtic manager as a "beautiful experience" but acknowledged it was a "no brainer" that he didn't have enough time to implement his methods. In his first interview since leaving the club in January, the Frenchman told the Training Ground Guru podcast that the timing of his appointment was a mistake.
Nancy took over from Martin O'Neill in early December, following Brendan Rodgers' departure in October. He won only two of his eight matches in charge—against Aberdeen and Livingston—and suffered defeats in the League Cup final to St Mirren, as well as league losses to Hearts, Dundee United, Motherwell, and Rangers, plus a Europa League home defeat to Roma. He was sacked after a 3-1 loss to Rangers and replaced by O'Neill, who has since guided Celtic to the brink of another Premiership title and a Scottish Cup final.
"On reflection, when I went there it was not a good moment," Nancy said. "I knew it could be difficult regarding the schedule and injuries, so that's why I put everything into perspective. Obviously I didn't have enough time to do things the way I do things, but I have no bad words about my time."
He added: "It was a beautiful experience. I do my job with passion, and I look for players with passion, and this club, the fans, and the city—we feel it. It's been amazing for that. Obviously, things could have been better, but life is about moments."
Nancy, who previously succeeded with MLS club Columbus Crew and now lives back in the United States, insisted he had a plan to gradually change Celtic's style. "That's why they hired me," he said. "I'm not a conservative coach. We had a plan because I also did my due diligence. My idea was not to change everything but step by step to bring something new."
He praised the support he received from the club hierarchy but acknowledged that results shifted perspectives. "The support I had from the club and the chairman was huge. We were on the same page, but with results, the perspective changes. I have no problem with that. Football is irrational sometimes, and it's a no-brainer that I didn't have enough time."