IF CELTIC KEEP WILFRIED NANCY CALLUM McGREGOR IS PROBABLY OFF
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
If rumors are true, there are no shortage of people at Celtic who have issues with Wilfried Nancy, Callum McGregor being one of them.
The looks of frustration, occasional confusion and overall helplessness, both on Sunday at Hampden and then Wednesday night in Dundee, from McGregor and several other Celtic players spoke volumes.
As our captain, and our second most decorated player of all time, McGregor has just as important a part to play as Wilfried Nancy does in dragging Celtic out of this current rut. However, word is the two of them are barely speaking at the moment.
If Rumors of a Wilfried Nancy Callum McGregor Feud are True, Then One of Them Has to Go
As soon as Brendan Rodgers was formally announced as the new manager of Saudi League side Al Qadsiah, I expected he would soon come for Callum McGregor. The two always enjoyed a close relationship, and Rodgers tried to poach him for Leicester the first time he jumped ship from Celtic.
McGregor has, allegedly, taken great exception to the new manager’s treatment of senior players and staff, such as goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods, with media speculating Woods could quit his long-standing role at Celtic as soon as this weekend.
Wilfried Nancy also didn’t do himself any favors by giving his predecessor, and unquestionable Celtic legend, Martin O’Neill little more than a token 15 minutes of his time, when I am sure O’Neill had a great deal more to tell the new manager, had he been willing to listen.
This immediately rubbed people up the wrong way, and seeded the current dejection that seems evident in pretty much every Celtic player who has given an interview in the past ten days or so.
I do not presume to speak for all Celtic fans, but I think if it came down to a direct popularity contest between Nancy and McGregor: one of our most decorated players of all time against, statistically speaking, our worst manager in almost 50 years then I think we all know who comes out on top.
Unfortunately, it’s the Celtic Board who will make the call here, not us, the fans. As we have already seen numerous times this season, the board seem almost determined to choose the path of most resistance whenever it comes to managing their popularity among the fans.
In other words, they’ll see selling McGregor as not only a chance to bank a few quid for a player who, at 32, may have already seen his best days. They may also view it as a way to further show their backing for the under-fire Nancy, whom they appointed.
If there’s one thing my observations of football and politics over the past few years have taught me, it is to never underestimate the utterly insane levels of self-harm people will go to before they will just hold their hands up and admit they made a mistake.
If the Celtic Board follow through on their supposed intent to double down on Wilfried Nancy, despite all the evidence pointing towards a continuing disaster, then Callum McGregor may well be a casualty of this hubris. And he may not be the only one.
