Celtic: Wilfried Nancy asks Hoops support for ‘trust’ after League Cup defeat to St Mirren leaves him winless in first three | Football News

Wilfried Nancy has asked Celtic fans to “trust him” to find a solution after his dismal start as manager.

The Frenchman has endured the worst start of any Hoops coach, suffering three successive defeats in just one week.

After failing to displace Hearts at the top of the table, they lost to Roma in the Europa League before failing to defend their League Cup title on a miserable Sunday at Hampden Park.

Defeat to St Mirren has already led some Celtic fans to question his appointment as Brendan Rodgers’ permanent successor, but he is adamant he will get it right.

“I tell them that I definitely want to do better,” he said after the defeat to Hampden. “But I ask them not to be patient, but to trust what I have to say about what we are trying to do.”

“My point is that I can see something good but it is not enough. We are not able to be consistent.

“I can understand the fans. It’s completely natural. I can ask the fans to believe in me and trust my ability to do things, but that’s not my job. I have to act instead of speaking.”

Nancy immediately changed Celtic’s formation, opting to use his preferred back three since taking charge.

But he does not accept the players’ struggle to adapt to the change.

“No, not at all. To be honest with you, we had a really good performance in the first half against Hearts, the second half against Roma, and the first half today,” the former Columbus Crew coach added.

“I question everything. That’s my job. Here, in the past, etc., that’s our job to try to find solutions.”

“I didn’t see it that way, the structure we had was really interesting. We were able to get wide, get through the middle, and we were able to attack the box.

“For me, this is taking care of the ball, and this is the only way to increase our chances of performing better.”

Nancy’s nightmare continues

Alison Conroy from Sky Sports at Hampden Park:

It’s inevitable that Wilfried Nancy’s first week as Celtic manager has been a disaster.

He played three and lost three. They missed the chance to replace Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership, left hopes of progressing in the Europa League hanging by a thread and then failed to retain the League Cup title.

Celtic have had plenty of issues to overcome throughout the season, from injuries to recruitment and boardroom turmoil, but the new man in charge usually manages to galvanize the team.

Martin O’Neill returned to the club and brought back the feeling of winning. It wasn’t always pretty to watch, but they were getting results.

There has never been a perfect time for Nancy to take over, but was the biggest week of the season so far the right choice?

The Frenchman will know that the pressure is on him to deliver results, but the fans will continue to look above him.

Chants of “Sack the board” continued throughout the match at Hampden Park.

The Celtic hierarchy will need to back their man in the January transfer window after a failure to strengthen in the summer saw unity between club and fans break down further.

Celtic upcoming matches

• Dundee United (away) – Scottish Premier League – December 17 – Live on Sky Sports
• Aberdeen (H) – Scottish Premier League – December 21
• Livingston (away) – Scottish Premier League – December 27 – Live on Sky Sports
• Motherwell (away) – Scottish Premiership – December 30
• Rangers (H) – Scottish Premier League – January 3 – Live on Sky Sports