BACKING NOT SACKING

It's madness to call for Wilfried’s head so early and he needs help to beef up a squad ravaged by injuries and exits

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THERE have been some wild takes about Wilfried Nancy after a difficult first week in the job.

I've even seen some fans suggesting if the Premier Sports Cup Final doesn't go Celtic's way he should be SACKED.

It's utter madness.

Don't get me wrong. Nancy badly needs to get up and running and really has to get his hands on the first trophy of the season.

But to suggest he should be emptied if it goes St Mirren’s way is ridiculous.

Even if the unthinkable happens at Hampden, Nancy still needs to be given time.

I feel sorry for the Frenchman in a lot of ways.

He has come in at a horrible stage of the season and inherited a squad that has been severely hampered by injuries and a lack of quality in key areas.

Yes, my old boss Martin O’Neill managed to string some results together but the performances were not always great and there was going to be a time when that came back to bite them.

The Hearts defeat could have happened on his watch.

Likewise, Celtic could - and probably would - have lost to Roma the other night whether it was Nancy, O'Neill, Brendan Rodgers, Ange Postecoglou or anyone else in charge.

In terms of Postecoglou, people can point to the rough start he had at the club. It was a bumpy ride at first and he did come under pressure.

But he also had a full preseason to implement his own ideas. Nancy has barely had a handful of training sessions so far.

The delay in getting him to Glasgow has really caused a problem and it has put him right up against it from the off.