Callum McGregor on the tough 33 day Wilfried Nancy reign | OneFootball

Callum McGregor was Celtic’s silent man during Wilfried Nancy’s hugely damaging 33 days in charge after the ‘world class in everything we do’ decision by Michael Nicholson to hand over the reigns to the rookie Frenchman from the MLS, a league where it doesn’t matter too much if you win or not.

Nancy soon found out that it matters in Glasgow and rather than leave Martin O’Neill in charge the Celtic Board led by Michael Nicholson opted to throw the Frenchman in ahead of a title showdown with Hearts – after Martin O’Neill had wiped out their early season lead. That was lost as were further league matches against Dundee United, Motherwell and theRangers and a cup final on top against St Mirren, plus a real embarrassment of a performance against Roma at Celtic Park.

Wilfried Nancy. Premier Sports Cup Final. 14 December 2025. St Mirren v Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Twelve points were lost in that month of torture of the support and probably moreso for the Celtic players led by their captain. If McGregor couldn’t back Nancy publicly he had to stay silent so there were no media interviews from him. You can bet though that he was vocal behind the scenes and when it came time to end the nightmare his opinion would have been sought and given for the benefit of the football club.

Celtic players at Hampden. Premier Sports Cup Final. 14 December 2025. St Mirren v Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Today Callum McGregor discussed the Wilfried Nancy experiment for the first time in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. The Celtic captain is candid and while choosing his words ever so carefully there is enough there to indicate that he was never a convinced in what Nancy was trying to do, with the timing all wrong for a start.

Had he come in the summer with a pre-season and a transfer window to bring in players who were familiar with his philosophy and his modus operandi then perhaps it might have worked. Callum explains why in his view it didn’t.

Appointing Nancy and throwing him is with the fixture list Celtic had at that time is  up there with the crazy decision for Celtic to fly the entire squad to Dubai in the January of the covid lockdown only for players to catch the virus meaning so many negative stories, players sidelined and Neil Lennon left sitting beside two big piles of snow as more points were dropped in a doomed season away to Livingston.

Neil Lennon, Livingston v Celtic. Photo: Andrew Milligan January 2021

If that was Peter Lawwell biggest folly that you’ve got to hand it to Michael Nicholson for blowing that out the water with his hiring of Wilfried Nancy based on the recommendation of Paul Tisdale who sold it on the basis that he’d be a better manager than Brendan Rodgers to work within their business model.

A shambles that one Michael, one that no future Celtic CEO will ever be able to surpass, hopefully.  The worst decision to appoint the worst ever Celtic manager at the worst possible time who ended up with the worst record of all our managers!

Read everything that Callum McGregor had to say about the Wilfried Nancy period in charge of Celtic – on the next page…

Celtic captain Callum McGregor with Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy Celtic Team Training and press conference, Lennoxtown Training Ground, 2 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

“I think probably too much too soon in terms of change,” Callum McGregor told Sky Sports this afternoon. “To go from a team that is super aggressive on the front foot for 10 plus years, the whole time I’ve been here pretty much, playing a certain way and then you bring in the nuance of the league and playing in Scotland, my belief is that you get as much pressure on the ball as much as you can and try and press the game as high as you can and actually eliminates a lot of the defending that you have to do in terms of box defending.

“For me it was a little too much too soon in terms of that change, and quite a big change away from what the team knew. Not to say that it can’t work but everyone is aware of the timing, no pre-season and so many games, so many important games.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor with Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy Celtic Team Training and press conference, Lennoxtown Training Ground, 2 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

“A really tough situation to come in and have a game every three days where you are almost learning in the game and we all know that trying to learn in this environment is probably the harshest environment you can have.

“Then, as human beings, when you take away that confidence, everybody starts to struggle. You have to go to the pitch and have confidence and belief in yourself, and ultimately, when you lose games, that does waver.

“We’re all human beings at the end of the day, so it does affect you. Like I said, it is unfortunate that it didn’t work out, but I think we have to draw a line under it now. There has been so many negative stories going about this season and like I said at the start of the interview there’s so much positive to look forward to, so much to play for.

Callum McGregor of Celtic arriving at the ground ahead of kick off in the Scottish Premiership match between Livingston and Celtic at Set Fare Arena on December 27, 2025. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

The players have drawn a line under it. So for everyone externally as well, we have to draw a line under it and move forward. If we keep dwelling on it we aren’t going to achieve what we want to achieve. The players are at peace with that, we know we have put ourselves in a difficult position but we are still in the conversation with a huge game to come on Sunday.

“Obviously the results are everything, that’s obvious. When you don’t win games you question everything. In football everyone wants to play well but if you don’t win games you won’t get time to perform, especially here at Celtic where you have win and you can worry about performance after that. You’ve always got another game to try and pick up performance.

“What I will say about the whole thing is that how much the players stayed together. That is comfort for me in terms of being in that dressing room and knowing what’s round about me in tough times, people really getting around each other, working ever so hard trying to fix the results and the situation that we’re in.

“So the one thing to come out from my end in terms of the players is how together we are and desperate to do well for Celtic.

“Everybody is desperate to win and we’re all together, I’ve said this about a few managers but you spend more time with the guys in here than you do with your own family back home so naturally everyone is close, everyone wants the team and the club to do well, everyone os fighting every second of the day to improve.

Wilfried Nancy speaks to Callum McGregor, Dundee Utd v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Tannadice, 17 December 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

“But I know from football and from experiences in general that when things go wrong people start self-preservating and that’s the one thing I didn’t see. The group were still together, still trying to help, and fight to do well for the club.

“It’s very easy to start finger-pointing and blaming everyone else. What I did see was a group that is together. Obviously from a players’ perspective, coaches and managers will change but that in there (dressing room) is the group that will help us be successful.

“So that was the one positive I did see in how together the players are.”

Callum McGregor with Wilfried Nancy. Premier Sports Cup Final. St Mirren v Celtic. Hampden Park, Sunday 14 December 2025. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)

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