WILFRIED NANCY DELAY OFFERS DREAM MARTIN O’NEILL CELTIC SEND-OFF
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
There’s no denying that since the unexpected return of Martin O’Neill Celtic have been a team transformed.
Speculation continues to mount over what kind of involvement he could have with Celtic going forward. His input would certainly be welcome as we move into a new era, under a new manager.
Yes, today’s win over Hibs wasn’t vintage stuff, nor was last weekend’s turgid last gasp win against St. Mirren. Thursday night against Feyenoord though was probably one of Celtic’s best European performances for a number of years.
With the news today that round two of the Martin O’Neill Celtic revolution still has one game to go, the scene is set for the perfect send off at Paradise this coming midweek.
In Their Last Game Under Martin O’Neill, Celtic Could Go Top of The League
The latest update with regards incoming manager Wilfried Nancy is that paperwork still remains incomplete. Sources believe it may be a work permit issue.
Indeed, post-Brexit, such things have become needlessly complicated, especially with regards to Europeans like Wilfried Nancy, who despite spending close to two decades in North America remains a French citizen.
As someone whose better half hails from Japan, I can definitely relate to the frustrations of visas, permits and all that other pointless, prohibitory nonsense.
However, Nancy’s short-term loss may well be Martin O’Neill and Celtic’s gain.
It offers Martin O’Neill the chance to round off his Celtic managerial career by putting us top of the league.
Now, this is by no means an easy feat, and it’s something that doesn’t lie in our own hands alone.
Going into the midweek round of matches, Celtic are 2 points behind Hearts, having played a game less. Crucially though, Hearts have a goal difference of +18 whereas Celtic have a goal difference of +14. Additionally, Hearts have scored 6 goals more than we have in the league this season.
We are at home to Dundee on Wednesday, whilst Hearts also have a home tie, hosting Kilmarnock at Tynecastle. Now, the stats point to fairly comfortable home wins for both sides.
So, to try and keep it as simple as possible, there are two possible scenarios that would see Celtic go top of the league on Wednesday night, in what, it seems, will be Martin O’Neill’s final match as interim manager.
If Kilmarnock upset the odds and beat Hearts at Tynecastle, then any sort of win would see Celtic go top of the league by a single point, but also with that game in hand still to come.
If Hearts and Kilmarnock draw, Celtic would need to beat Dundee by five goals or more to go top of the league.
The most likely scenario remains that both sides win on Wednesday and Wilfried Nancy will have the chance to take Celtic to the top of the league in his first match, at home to Hearts next weekend.
However, there has been something of a fairytale feel to this Martin O’Neill Celtic renaissance since the beginning.
I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he rounded off hit short but unforgettable second stint as our manager by taking us back to the summit of Scottish football once again.