Wilfried Nancy – Celtic supporters should set sights on beyond reach goals

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The Celtic Star

·6 December 2025

Wilfried Nancy – Celtic supporters should set sights on beyond reach goals

Wilfried Nancy insists he’s more than prepared for the demands of managing Celtic and encourages the supporters to set their sights on goals that appear beyond reach…

Celtic Unveil new manager Wilfried Nancy at Lennoxtown Training Centre on December 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The French coach confirmed that Gavin Strachan and Stevie Woods will stay on his staff as he prepares for a tough opening test against Hearts tomorrow at Celtic Park. Nancy faces a baptism of fire, with Roma on the horizon midweek and the Premier Sports League Cup Final versus St Mirren coming next Sunday – all while the team navigates growing discontent among the supporters.

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“You have the right to criticise me regarding what I’m going to do”

Nancy stressed that he understands the difficulties ahead and is ready to confront them directly.

Speaking via The Herald, he said: “I know where I am. Celtic is like this and I’m really happy to be here. Pressure is part of our job. You have the right to criticise me regarding what I’m going to do. You don’t have the badges, but I know that this is your job and I know that this is part of my job.”

“The Celtic fans love the club. And when you love someone, sometimes, depending on the way you are, it could be different. It’s passion. I’m very pleased with that, because my job is not a normal job, with a lot of humility.”

“I’m not saying that Wilfried the coach thinks that it’s going to be easy”

“The life that we have is unbelievable, but at the same time, we know that we have a lot of pressure – but pressure is part of our life. I am aware of that. Understand me well. I’m not saying that Wilfried the coach thinks that it’s going to be easy.”

Celtic Unveil new manager Wilfried Nancy at Lennoxtown Training Centre on December 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Nancy added: “This is not what I’m saying. I’m saying that what I’ve learned is to embrace adversity and to be excited by challenges. I’m here because I’m looking for that. If you ask me if I’m going to win all the games, I will say, ‘I wish!’ I don’t really know the future. But I know how I want my team to play and I know how I need to manage my team.”

Nancy guided Columbus Crew to an unexpected MLS Cup triumph in 2023, and now he’s intent on leaving his mark in Europe with Celtic.

“So let’s compete. After that, we’ll see what is the score”

He said: “What I said is impossible is an opinion. Sometimes we put limitations on what we can do. I want the people that I work with and also my players to be limitless. I’m not stupid.”

“I know that in Europe, especially when we go into the Champions League, we face teams with not the same budget. This is the reality. It’s a game, 90 minutes or maybe more. So let’s compete. After that, we’ll see what is the score.”

Celtic Unveil new manager Wilfried Nancy at Lennoxtown Training Centre on December 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“I don’t like the mindset of being an underdog. Why? Because we train every day hard to perform and to be better, like everyone. We want to compete in this competition, we want to go as far as possible.”

Gavin Strachan. Photo for The Celtic Star by Vagelis Georgariou

Nancy has kept Strachan and Woods on his staff, but Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham won’t be part of the setup. He said: “It’s really important for me to work with people who know the culture and especially who know the clubs.”

Conor Spence

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