Celtic manager Nancy fired after one month and O’Neill rehired

By Canadian Press on January 5, 2026.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — After six losses and one month, Wilfried Nancy’s brief and disastrous time as Celtic manager is over.

Just 33 days since Nancy left Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer for Celtic, he was sacked by the club on Monday.

Celtic brought back Martin O’Neill within hours to manage the team to the end of the season.

O’Neill was in interim charge before Nancy was hired. Like Nancy, O’Neill also oversaw eight games but won seven of them. The fan favorite who won three Scottish titles with Celtic in the early 2000s said he would have been happy to stay on.

“I am really pleased, in fact, very honored to be asked back to manage the team again,” O’Neill said on the Celtic website. “I know we would all have hoped for things to have worked out differently under Wilfried and I personally want to wish him good luck with everything he does in the game. He is a fine man and I am sure he will go on and achieve success again.”

Paul Tisdale was also leaving as Celtic head of football operations.

Nancy lost his first four games in charge, including a League Cup final, and six out of eight in total. His final outing was the 3-1 home loss to Glasgow rival Rangers on Saturday in the Old Firm derby, the biggest match in Scottish soccer.

Nancy’s tenure ended up being slightly shorter than the interim stint of O’Neill, who took over following the departure of Brendan Rodgers on Oct. 27. Nancy was appointed on Dec. 3.

Celtic next plays Dundee United on Saturday, starting a hectic run of eight games in 24 days.

That includes two crucial Europa League games against Italy’s Bologna and Dutch club Utrecht as Celtic, currently in the 24th and last qualifying spot, seeks to avoid an early exit from the competition.

Celtic also visits Hearts on Jan. 25 in what could be a decisive game in the Scottish Premiership title race.

Hearts is six points clear of Celtic and Rangers at the top of the standings as the Edinburgh club aims to become the first non-Old Firm team to win the title since Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in 1985.

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The Associated Press