Wilfried Nancy sacked by Celtic as Frenchman smashes unwanted managerial record

Wilfried Nancy has been sacked by Scottish giants Celtic after just 33 days in charge.

The Frenchman’s miserable reign is the shortest of any permanent manager in the club’s 138-year history and smashes the previous record held by John Barnes, who lasted eight months (245 days) at Parkhead between June 1999 and February 2000.

Nancy signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Celtic and was unveiled as manager of the reigning Scottish Premiership champions on December 4 following the resignation of Brendan Rodgers.

However, having previously seen interim coach Martin O’Neill steer Celtic to seven wins out of eight, former Columbus Crew boss Nancy was unable to make his mark and the club’s form slumped dramatically.

The 48-year-old became the first Celtic manager to lose his first two matches in charge before suffering a 3-1 defeat to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final and a 2-1 loss at Dundee United in the top flight - not since 1978 under club legend Jock Stein had the Hoops lost four games in a row.

Nancy lost six of his eight games in total, with a painful 3-1 home defeat to Old Firm rivals Rangers last weekend proving to be the final nail in his coffin following widespread backlash from the club’s supporters.

Nancy sacked by Celtic after just 33 days at Parkhead

"Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect,” a club statement on their official website read.

"The club thanks Wilfried for his efforts and wishes him and his family well for the future.

"Wilfried's assistants, Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen, and Maxime Chalier, will also be leaving the club and they take with them our good wishes.

"The club can also confirm that Paul Tisdale has left his position as Head of Football Operations. We thank Paul for the contribution he has made in that role.

"A further update will be provided to supporters as soon as is practical."

Nancy departs Celtic sitting second in the Scottish Premiership table and six points behind leaders Hearts after 20 games played.

What next for Celtic after Nancy sacking?

Celtic fans will been keen to see their club avoid appointing another manager who implements a similar football philosophy to Nancy and who makes controversial claims about his team in the media.

The club’s hierarchy may consider re-appointing Martin O’Neill on an interim basis while they go back to the drawing board and identify a long-term successor - appointing O’Neill on a permanent basis cannot be entirely ruled out either.

As things stand, Shaun Maloney - O’Neill’s interim assistant – Ange Postecoglou, Kjetil Knutsen and Kieran McKenna are all among the frontrunners with the bookmakers’ for the Celtic vacancy.