Not been coming off the bench either it seems - only one appearance (taken off at half-time) since his run of four goals in four games and his Ireland debut. Football can be rough like that I guess. And hard to argue with Celtic winning five in a row in that time.
Got about an hour off the bench today in the Scottish League Cup final after Iheanacho went off injured. He was hopeless to be honest. Much as you could probably say that of most of the Celtic team, there was nothing at all in Kenny's game to suggest O'Neill made a mistake by dropping him.
It seems Nancy's stint as Celtic manager could well be a car-crash. Not going to help Kenny (though I wouldn't rate him hugely anyway) or Scales. Could well see Hearts winning the league this year, which would reflect more on Rangers/Celtic than on Hearts
Watching Nancy's interview after the game, he just doesn't get Scottish football at all. It's all good and well coming from a less serious league like the MLS and having a footballing philosophy but, if you can't adapt it to the players you have and the competition they're playing in, then you're wasting your time (obviously we've had a similar problem with a manager in the recent past).
What he's trying to do might work if he'd had a summer to bring in players that suit his style and a full pre-season to work on his ideas with them. But coming in mid-season and trying to play this way with a team that were going well under a Martin O'Neill style of play is a recipe for disaster. He clearly has no interest in changing his approach either.
Missed one very good chance and one absolute sitter last night.
I get that Nancy's under fire, but Celtic should have been 3 or 4 up at the break yesterday, rather than one.
More missed sitters yesterday. Although he wasn't the only guilty one.Originally Posted by osarusan
With the best will in the world to him, and taking account of Wilfried Nancy being honestly one of the most comically awful football managers I've ever seen set up a team, but Johnny Kenny can't be anywhere near the Ireland squad come March. The lad is full of energy, but he has absolutely no idea how to use it.
Celtic are a basket case. It's remarkable. Schmeichel's form seems to have dropped off a cliff. They've nobody up front - Idah wasn't great, but even he had to be replaced with someone, but instead there's millions sitting in the bank. The fans (and also Rodgers I think) have been giving out about the attacking shortfall for ages but it's gotten steadily worse. And now Nancy has been plucked from nowhere to make things worse. They've definitely been unlucky in a couple of games under him, there's no arguing with six defeats in eight games (and one of the two wins was against a side with ten men for 45 minutes, who still equalised with 10 to go)
At least Scales should get his place back before the end of the season
You just can't set up a team in Scotland the way he does (or in England for that matter). Only one out and out centre back (who is a poor player anyway - other than in kids games I've literally never seen the last defender run away from an opposition attacker bearing down on goal before!).
Just sit tight, wait for the moments and then counter attack and/or quick ball over the top and you're in one on one with the lone centre back every time. And he seems to have no other strategy at all (I have a strong dislike for managers who are wedded to a particular formation or style of play and are completely unwilling to consider any other way). The man just seems almost impossibly French - I can just picture him on his flight home next week after he's been sacked blaming everyone but himself for what's happening.
As for Johnny Kenny, I'm sorry but he's just nowhere near good enough. Butchered a 3 on 1 with a terrible pass and then butchered a clear sight of goal by slide tackling a straightforward shot.
Yeah, Kenny certainly can't say he's not getting the service or the chances
The first question is, why on earth did they appoint Paul Tisdale as their sporting director. His last three jobs as manager with Bristol Rovers, Colchester and Stevenage were unmitigated disasters.
In his Celtic role, his transfers have been duds and his biggest single job was to replace Brendan Rogers where he took a successful temporary manager (Martin O’Neill, arranged by the chairman) and replaced him with a guy who had never managed in Europe and had only worked in the MLS where the league is basically a cup competition with all kinds of mad influences.
To say it was a gamble is an understatement
This article on the BBC could have been written by elated and Eirambler.
Tactical shambles - check
Johnny Kenny not up to it - check
What is Paul Tisdale doing there? - check
And Nancy and Tisdale both get the sack.
So quid nunc for Celtic? Can they screw things up as badly again?
At least Scales will hopefully get his place back in the team, and relatively untarnished by the mess of the last eight games
O'Neill coming back to Celtic apparently, which I think would be good for Kenny's confidence. When you watch O'Neill's affection for the players in the dressing room after his last game, you'd have to think lads would be running out on to the pitch with their tails up
Folding my way into the big money!!!
Absolutely convinced this will be happening on an Air France or Air Canada flight out of the UK today or tomorrow. One of the worst management appointments in the history of Scottish football, and seemingly zero self awareness to go with the lack of ability.
I'd say O'Neill coming back is better news for Scales as they will revert to a more sensible (i.e. not completely insane) defensive setup. O'Neill dropped Kenny fairly swiftly last time around and I imagine he will do so again. Particularly with the transfer window being open, Celtic having millions in the bank and a points deficit to make up on Hearts. They really can't afford to carry a crap striker at the moment.
I'd say the biggest issue with O'Neill now will be ensuring the signings are good. Realistically I don't expect him to know which players in the dutch or portuguese or swedish top flight, or who in Afcon or in the championship is the next Van Dijk or Wanyama or Jota. And their sporting director was so incompetent that you'd be as well dumping whatever plans he had.
Some scout or someone needs to be working overtime this month. You don't want Roy Keane takes over Sunderland and signs Dwight Yorke and David Connolly and Graham Kavanagh on deadline day. See also Kieran Richardson, Paul McShane, Andy Cole, Ian Harte, Danny Higginbotham the following summer and Phil Bardsley and Andy Reid in January.
Cyrus Christie won't cost much will he?
Last edited by elatedscum; 06/01/2026 at 5:06 PM.
Keane basically signed a load of players he played with the were experienced
Folding my way into the big money!!!
That's what I mean. You don't want Martin signing players he knows and has worked with before, just because he knows them and has worked with them before.
I dunno. I think Mal Donaghy and Gerry Armstrong would be decent additions to Celtic’s squad
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