Celtic

Former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady found Wilfried Nancy's use of a tactics board during his first game in charge - the 2-1 defeat by Hearts - "a bit strange" but believes the reaction has been overblown.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

He's been in Scotland a week and already Wilfried Nancy is polarising opinion.

A breath of fresh air? A man in the wrong movie? Whatever your take, it's been quite the introduction to Scottish football for the man from the MLS.

One thing he exudes in buckets is belief. Self-confidence. A vision of how he sees the game and how it should be played.

All of that is about to get the sternest test of his short career. By his own admission, he's in uncharted territory now. Not only has he never managed in Europe, he's never taken over a side mid-season.

That he immediately ripped up the Celtic playbook should surprise no one. Like Rubin Amorim at Manchester United, Nancy plays 3-4-3. He always has and he's going to keep playing it.

It's Nancyball and Celtic fans better get used to it. It's not that he's inflexible, as there is plenty of fluidity and adaptability built into his system.

Just don't expect him to adopt Martin O'Neill (or anyone else's) way of playing for the sake of an easy transition or to appease suspicious sections of the support.

What's abundantly clear from his first few days is Nancy is his own man and proudly so. He believes he can get results by encouraging his players to work in a certain way and focus on the performance rather than result, confident the latter will come if the former is on point.

He's had success working this way in Canada and America and fully believes it can translate, transatlantic.

On a sample size of one match, no conclusions should be drawn either way. What can be deduced, though, is a well-drilled, highly capable Hearts coped with his system without too many problems, once they'd figured out what they were facing.

Rome was not built in a day, however. The more training sessions Nancy can deliver - with or without the tactics board - the more clearly he can get his message and new ideas across.

His problems, if there are any this early, are probably two-fold. He needs time and complete buy-in from his players.

The degree of patience accorded by an already restless fanbase will directly correspond to the results in the next two games.

Nancy will hope performances are taken into account. They won't be, certainly not on Sunday. He simply has to win the League Cup final against St Mirren, regardless of how well the team plays, to give himself and his methods breathing space.

Before that, of course, the little matter of one of Italy's best teams in the Europa League. Roma were two up in around half an hour at Ibrox earlier in the campaign. A repeat of that at Celtic Park will set alarm bells ringing.

In his first venture into European football, Nancy will need to show that his side is competitive against a high-calibre opponent likely to pounce on any sign of weakness or confusion.

The Frenchman firmly believes in his philosophy. He's convinced it can work at Celtic. That belief is about to given a critical stress-test over the next few days.

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Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini isn't reading much into Celtic's defeat by Hearts and says playing at Parkhead is "never easy".

The Italian outfit were comfortable 2-0 winners over Rangers at Ibrox at the start of November and occupy 15th place in the Europa League table while Celtic are in 21st and still in with a chance of a play-off spot.

Gasperini watched Celtic's 2-1 loss to Hearts in Wilfried Nancy's first game last Sunday but doesn't believe it was a reflection of their abilities.

"Celtic are a very strong team," he said.

"I watched the last game as well. Despite the negative result, it was a good game.

"It's never easy to play away in this amazing stadium with so much tradition and history.

"I expect, and hope, to see a great game between two teams that really want to get those three points. We have few matchdays left so these points are really important."

And Nancy's side seem to have made a "good impression" on the 67-year-old with their performance on Sunday.

"I think considering it was the first time, they were undoubtedly good," he said.

"They managed to implement this game very well. They conceded two goals, but it was because of small details. What makes the difference is details. It's not the system that you choose.

"Three at the back is getting more and more popular with European teams. In the past it was Atalanta who were one of the few teams who were using the system.

"I don't know how Celtic will play, what system they'll use if it'll be a different one or the same.

"It's a team that I like. They are very good when attacking, very open. Sometimes the result is not good like Sunday but I would say they made a good impression on me."

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Is tonight's Europa League tie with Roma a "free hit" for new Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy?

The Frenchman is taking charge of only his second Celtic game, and his first European match, when the Italian giants visit Parkhead.

Celtic are currently 21st in the Europa League table, three places inside the play-off spots, with seven points from five games.

Nancy came under fire for swapping to a back three in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Hearts, three days after he arrived in Scotland.

"This is one of the burning questions about Wilfried Nancy," Herald football writer Stephen McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"About flexibility and his willingness to adapt and change.

"He's one of these modern coaches who has a philosophy, an idea, a formation, and he sticks with it.

"I think he surprised people when he came in after two training sessions and he did change the system so much against Hearts when he hadn't had a great deal of time to work on it.

"I think it is a bit of a free hit tonight, I don't think people expect much."

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• Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti has made the most ball carries in the Europa League this season that have ended in the opposition penalty area (32), while he ranks third among non-defenders for ball carry distance (1,043 metres).

• Roma are looking to win three consecutive Europa League matches for the first time since September/October 2023.

• None of Celtic's past 19 Europa League matches at home have ended in a draw (W10 L9) since a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahçe in October 2015.

• Roma have already beaten Rangers at Ibrox in the Europa League this season. That was their first encounter with a Scottish side since beating Dundee United 3-2 on aggregate in the 1984 European Cup semi-final in 1984.

• Although this is Celtic's 33rd major European meeting with Italian teams, it's their first against Roma. They have won two of their past 16 against Italian opponents (D4 L10), both against Lazio in the 2019-20 Europa League.

Winger James Forrest, 34, has been spotted in training after missing Celtic's past six matches. (Glasgow Times), external

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has been studying Celtic counterpart Wilfried Nancy, who has just been appointed, before the pair will be in opposing dugouts for Sunday's Premier Sports Cup final. (Herald - subscription required), external

Midfielder Arne Engels, 22, spoke to former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers about his lack of game time earlier this season. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Celtic defender Auston Trusty admits having three managers in the first half of the season has been unsettling for players, but he welcomes the changes new boss Wilfried Nancy is making.

And the USA international believes a Europa League victory over Roma on Thursday would help bring "everybody on board" after Nancy's losing start against Hearts in the Premiership last weekend.

"I think any time there's a change, regardless of any organisation, any situation, it takes time for guys to settle and wrap their head around what's happened," said Trusty.

"Three managers this year so far, of course there's going to be a little bit of unsettlement between the players and anybody in the organisation. But again, that's just the nature of football.

"I think the fact that we lost our previous game, people can start to say stuff, but again if you win a game, then people don't say anything.

"So again, it's just the nature of the beast and it's the nature of how big this club is. And when you get people on your side, they're really on your side.

"I'm just asking fans to understand what he's coming to do. And it's a hard job. It's a tough time he's had in a sense of coming in a period where we have really important games."

Trusty says he's already had to adapt his game to put the former Columbus Crew head coach's ideas into practice, with Celtic setting up in a back three.

"Sometimes change is good," he said. [Against Hearts] I had a lot of the ball and made passes and a lot of it came through me from the outside centre-backs.

"At the same time pushing the wing-backs higher up the pitch and also come back for defence. Yes, it changed things up and I think it's a good change.

"I think on the outside looking in you don't realise how little time you have. It's game after game after game here and you don't really have time to train and try to implement stuff. Slowly but surely we're going to get better at it.

"Every training session, every moment, every time, every day he can get his message across to us the better. Again, it just takes time."

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A "huge" January transfer window is looming for Celtic as new boss Wilfried Nancy seeks to strengthen the squad he inherited.

After Celtic's summer business left a lot to be desired - and widened the disconnect between fans and board - next month gives Nancy a first opportunity to shake things up.

And Paul John Dykes, of the A Celtic State of Mind Podcast, believes the club are in need of immediate starters, not project players.

"I think a lot of the transfers over the last couple of seasons have been what Brendan Rodgers used to call club signings or players for the future," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"In January we definitely need starters, we need players to come right into the starting 11.

"We're now starting to play a back three and all three players [who started against Hearts] were left-sided, it's not ideal.

"We probably will be in the market for a right-sided centre-back. The forward area is the biggest concern, we've just not been getting the same kind of output offensively from the forward players.

"We need that striker position sorted. We need to be strengthening and also replacing any of the players that go out so it's a huge January window."

Dykes feels the Celtic board need to "make big efforts" to bring supporters back on side amid disillusionment over the way the club is being run.

"It's as bad as I can remember it, to be honest," he said. "And I remember the early 90s when it was the sack the board days and boycotts.

"The breakdown in the relationship between the board and a great number of fans has been incredible this season.

"The club need to make big efforts to try and come together with the fanbase. We used to talk about the holy trinity of the players, the management and the fans and when you come together, you're a much stronger force.

"At the moment, that's fragmented. We do need to bring that back together."

Wilfried Nancy discusses his first few days in the job as the new Celtic boss prepares for his second in match in charge, the Europa League tie at home to Roma on Thursday.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy has been speaking to the media before the Europa League tie with Roma on Thursday.

Here are the key points:

• Nancy says he "doesn't waste time" with criticism in the media or on social media but accepts it comes with the job and everyone has a right to express their opinion.

• He adds: "I'm going to dress one way, people might say they don't like the way I dress, I don't waste time on that."

• On comments of his use of a tactics board in particular, Nancy says: "if I use it, it's because it's good for me. Simple as that. I don't think that I'm going to use it all the time, but no problem."

• On his frantic first few days in charge, Nancy says his mum told him he's developed bags under his eyes. He adds: "Yeah, mummy, I just came in, jet lag, tried to anticipate everything. But again, this is part of our job."

• Nancy was "really pleased" with a lot of the performance against Hearts in his first game in charge while admitting his side "could have been better".

• The Frenchman adds it's his job as a coach to "find solutions and prioritise" although stresses the team have "a good base already" - "my job is not to change everything, it's to add".

• Going into Thursday's massive Europa League clash, Nancy admits circumstances "could have been better" if he'd had more time to train with his side but feels the players are already showing they are "embracing what we want to do".

• The Celtic boss insists his side "played with a back four" at stages in the last game but stresses "it's not about the system" and says focus is on "how we can connect, manipulate the opposition, disrupt the lines and defend our box".

• After his first game, and first defeat, Nancy says "I know I need to win to buy time" but admits "it was the same when I was in the MLS and it was the same when I was a player, you have to be good to stay".

• The Frenchman, who was a runner-up in the Concacaf Champions Cup with Columbus Crew, understands the importance of the Europa League and describes it as an "honour" to take part in the tournament.

• He has "a lot of respect" for Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and is "excited by the challenge" of facing the Italian side.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Budapest

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Ferencvaros head coach Robbie Keane has played down reports linking him with the recently vacant Celtic managerial post but didn't rule out a future move back to the club where he played in 2010.

The Irishman was one of the names mentioned amid Celtic's recent managerial search following Brendan Rodgers' resignation at the end of October before the appointment of Wilfried Nancy.

Keane took charge of Ferencvaros in January following a successful spell with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"I can't help speculation," he said prior to his side's Europa League meeting with Rangers in Budapest on Thursday.

"My mind is here, I'm very happy. It's been a successful year, we won the league last year, we're doing well in Europe now, top of the league so I'm really enjoying it here.

"There are good people here. Sir Alex Ferguson always said to me go to a club with good people and this club is very well run. I couldn't be happier here."

When asked whether it would be a dream of his to one day manage at the club he supported as a boy he added: "You can never say never in football.

"I'm one of those guys who can never think too far ahead. I have to concentrate on what I do here because if you take your eye off the ball, you start losing games and you lose your job."

Victory for Ferencvaros at home to Rangers would put the Hungarians, currently sixth in the Europa League table, in a strong position to qualify automatically for the last 16.

"It's going to be a difficult game even though Rangers haven't done as well in Europe as they'd like," added Keane.

"Obviously a new manager has come in with some new ideas so we're expecting a tough game."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

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Roma arrive in Glasgow off the back of two narrow defeats as they try to maintain their domestic and European challenge.

I Giallorossi were beaten 1-0 by champions Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico after the international break, a result that knocked them off top spot, something they had achieved for the first time in a decade.

They were then beaten by the same scoreline in Sardinia by Cagliari on Sunday having been reduced to 10 men owing to a red card shown to Turkey right-back Zeki Celik.

Roma remain just four points off the pacesetters and continue to have the best defence in Serie A, albeit they are the lowest scorers in the top 10.

In the Europa League, they are close to securing a place in the knockouts with one more win required. They defeated Celtic's conquerors, Midtjylland, last time out, which will serve as a warning to the Scottish champions given the lesson they received against the same opponents in Denmark last month.

Gian Piero Gasperini's men have already won in Glasgow this season when they swept Rangers aside just over a month ago and will be determined to inflict more misery on the infancy of Wilfried Nancy's Parkhead reign.

The Romans arrive without last season's top scorer, Artem Dovbyk, among others, but this will be a huge examination of Celtic's own knockout credentials.

Lech Poznan will only be able to afford to sign on-loan Celtic winger Luis Palma on a permanent basis for the required £3.9m if they qualify for Europe next season. (Kanal Sportowy), external

Mark Fotheringham, who was part of Celtic's recent interim backroom staff, believes Martin O'Neill could have stayed on and managed the club long term. (Sun), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Tino
Fan writer

There's no doubt Wilfried Nancy will have carried out endless hours of research before uprooting from Columbus, Ohio, to Glasgow.

He'll have studied Celtic Park and Lennoxtown, analysed the squad, and immersed himself in the sheer scale and diversity of the Celtic support.

But nothing - absolutely nothing - could have prepared him for the absurd backlash that has erupted in the wake of his debut defeat to Hearts.

How dare he use a tactics board to quickly relay… checks notes… tactical information to his captain.

How dare he stress in a post-match interview - in his second language, no less - that performance matters to him, before clearly reaffirming his hunger to win.

How dare he roll out his preferred 3-4-3 - the very system that built his reputation and secured him the Celtic job - in his first competitive match.

Yes, the defeat to Hearts was a disappointment. It's hardly the start Nancy wanted. But can we all just pause for a moment and appreciate how wildly out of proportion the reaction has been?

Incredibly, some supporters - a minority, I hope - have even suggested the Frenchman should be sacked. After 90 minutes of football.

After delivering the exact same scoreline, against the exact same opposition, that a certain Ange Postecoglou recorded on his Celtic debut.

Against a Hearts side who, let's not forget, sat top of the Scottish Premiership on merit before kick-off.

Can we please stop with this absolute nonsense? This tired charade that shrugs and says, "Well, that's just Glasgow." As if mass hysteria is somehow a noble tradition.

Nancy has earned his move to Celtic. He deserves the respect and – crucially – the time to make a success of the role.

It may work out brilliantly, it may not, but like anyone in any walk of life, he should at least be given the chance to do so.

Maybe some hadn't heard of him before (Ange is on the phone, he'd like a word). Maybe his style is different, maybe it's unfamiliar, or maybe some just fear change for change's sake.

But whether he was your first choice or not, he's here now - and our job as supporters is to support.

Nancy leads. We back him. Anything else isn't the Celtic way.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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John 'Dixie' Deans will "always be remembered as a true Celtic great" following his death at the age of 79.

The striker scored 124 goals in 184 games during his five-year Celtic spell in the 1970s, winning three league titles, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup.

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell said: "This is extremely sad news and I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to Dixie's family and friends.

"Dixie was a great Celt and one of the finest goalscorers ever to have played for the club. I was fortunate enough to have watched him play throughout his career and he played his part in the successes we enjoyed in the 1970s, not least in those unforgettable hat-tricks he scored against Hibs in two cup finals at Hampden.

"I was even more fortunate to get to know him personally over the past few years, and it was always great to meet him here at Celtic Park on a matchday.

"What was always clear was his real love of Celtic and also the love that supporters had for him too."

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson said: "Every Celtic supporter will be saddened by this news and I know that the thoughts of the whole Celtic family will be with Dixie's family at this time.

"Dixie was always a Celtic supporter, and his fellow fans recognised and loved that about him, as well as appreciating his talents as a player and what he did throughout his time wearing the Hoops.

"To say his goalscoring record was impressive is an understatement, and he will always be remembered as a true Celtic great."

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Kieran Tierney has defended Wilfried Nancy's style change at Celtic but admits the players must quickly adapt.

Nancy's reign began with a 2-1 home defeat by Hearts on Sunday as Celtic fell three points behind the Premiership leaders with a game in hand.

The Frenchman deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation and has come under scrutiny for poring over counters on a tactics board in the dugout and for claiming in a Sky Sports post-match interview that: "I'm not about losing or winning, I'm about having a good performance."

But Tierney, who played in the back three, said: "The thing that let us down in the first half was we never scored when we were on top. Because I think we had them on the back foot.

"We had chances, we pressed the game well and we just never scored. I don't think we were as good in the second half, but we still had chances.

"Formation is one thing, but the way you build up in a back four, you can build up with three defenders, full-back pushing in and different things.

"So I wouldn't focus so much on the formation, but I think we dealt well with it in the first half. I think we got good chances out of it, I think we were passing the ball well.

"But it's easy to say that, you need to win these games and we never won, so it's not good enough."

The 28-year-old is convinced's Nancy's way of playing will bring rewards.

"I like it a lot, because I like building up in the three and I've played the left centre-back role with Celtic, Arsenal and Scotland, so it's a position I'm used to," he added.

"His ideas are good about creating overloads, finding the free man. It's only been a couple of days, so the manager's just got a few messages across. It'll be impossible to get every single detail across in a few days.

"I don't think we're far away from it.

"We respect every opponent. They [Hearts] are up there because they deserve to be up there. We've got work to do and we need to do it quick.

"[We will get it right] 100%, because we need to. We're in a title race, we've got a cup final, we've got Europa League we want to qualify through. So there's no option.

"We need to get it right and we'll be working and doing everything we can to do that."

Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi, West Ham United midfielder Andy Irving and Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Noonan are among Celtic's possible January signing targets. (Football Transfers), external

Club Brugge have fired head coach Nicky Hayen just weeks after he directly addressed rumours linking him with Celtic. (Daily Record), external

Scotland's top clubs are fearing a six-figure loss in their academy budgets after the Scottish FA indicated that annual payments via Club Academy Scotland could be stopped. (Daily Record), external

Pro-Palestine demonstrators are to picket Hampden Park prior to the Premier Sports Cup final next Sunday between Celtic and St Mirren because of the recent sponsorship deal for the national stadium with banking giant Barclays. (The Herald), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Former defender Jackie McNamara believes it is a "big gamble" for Celtic to have replaced Martin O'Neill with Wilfried Nancy - and is concerned about the new manager's radical tactical change.

Interim boss O'Neill had won seven out of his eight games in charge and had reeled in Heart of Midlothian's lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

He was replaced by permanent manager Nancy but the Frenchman lost his first match in charge against Hearts - using a 3-4-2-1 system.

"I've played under Martin and know how he would have turned it around. He got the shackles off," McNamara said on the Scottish Football Podcast.

"Yang Hyun-Jun has been a different player. Reo Hatate has had a bit more freedom getting forward. Arne Engels was better.

"Now Yan is expected to play right wing-back. He is not defensively minded. I've played that position and it is very demanding. You are judged on defence and attack. To go and do it so quickly is a big ask.

"But I don't think he will change. Afterwards he said it wasn't the system that was the problem. He won't think it is the system's fault. The players have to respond.

"That's why it think it was such a gamble to change Martin at this point. You want a pre-season to work on a new system.

"You don't want all these memes about a tactics board being used midway through the season.

"If the team is losing, yes, a new manager comes in, but Celtic were going very, very well.

"Now there is a big week coming up - Roma, who might exploit them defensively, and then a cup final."

Former Rangers winger Neil McCann agrees with McNamara's assessment and believes Nancy must be "resilient" if he is to succeed in Glasgow with his new system.

"Nancy set up isn't going to catch fire quickly in my opinion," he said on the podcast.

"These players have been signed to play 4-3-3 and now they've got to fit into a totally new system.

"To change Martin is a huge risk because of the size of the games coming up. In the new year there is the big game against Rangers too.

"They've taken a risk by not giving Martin the chance to take the team to the cup final.

"Glasgow is a graveyard for people who get shocked. He needs to be resilient and puff his chest out."

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His first match in charge of Celtic for Wilfried Nancy ended in a dispiriting 2-1 defeat against Heart of Midlothian.

While it is clearly far too early to assess whether the Frenchman is going to be a success at Celtic, did the statistics from the game give any clues as to how Nancy wants to play?

And do they pinpoint the areas he needs to improve in order to chase down Hearts in the Scottish Premiership?

Celtic expect to enjoy the majority of possession in domestic football and that was the case against Hearts - with a healthy 72%.

But it is what they did with it that will be concerning Nancy. Because while they had virtually three-quarters of possession, they had only two more shots on target compared to Hearts (five to three) and only three more shots from within the box (10 to seven).

Add shot accuracy to the picture and it becomes clear why Hearts left Glasgow with three points. Hearts had a better shot accuracy excluding blocked shots (42.9% to Celtic's 38.5) and better shooting accuracy (37.5% to Celtic's 33.3).

That is the reason Celtic's 1.88 xG was not turned into more than one goal and Hearts made the absolute most of their 0.52 xG.

They had a healthier xG, but Celtic making only 11 key passes compared to Hearts' six despite all that possession points to the lack of penetration in Nancy's team. The home side's final-third entries were only 74 to Hearts' 45, notably down given their share of the ball.

And the most damning statistic of all? While Hearts' crossing accuracy was 41.7%, Celtic's was a measly 7.4% from their 27 attempts.

One final point on this aspect of the game, which suggests Celtic may have a new new manager, but they are going to play the same style.

Celtic's long pass percentage was 5.2% of the 731 passes they attempted in the game, indicating he advocates the same type of possession-based football favoured by his predecessor Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic's attack stats v Hearts

All of that will lead you to suspect Celtic's forward players did not shine on Sunday. And when Kieran Tierney is your leading attacker, you know something is wrong.

The defender got Celtic's goal and no-one had more shots on target than him, and his eight crosses were more than any Celtic player managed.

Daizen Maeda was the only other bright spark, and the Japan forward has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Premiership (two goals, one assist). Maeda is Celtic's top chance creator in the league and has assisted three goals.

At the other end, Auston Trusty's recall might not have been greeted warmly by Celtic fans, but he made more tackles than anyone else - six. He also made 112 passes, more than any other Celtic player.

Sebastian Tounekti made three in an unfamiliar wing-back role. In contrast Liam Scales made no successful tackles and gave away a foul.

Callum McGregor made 94 passes - a not inconsiderable tally, but surprisingly fewer than Trusty, which is testament to the role played by Hearts midfielder Tomas Magnusson.

Nancy v O'Neill - how they compared

So, how did Match One under Nancy compare to the final game under Martin O'Neill?

Possession in the win against Dundee was 70.6% - and long balls accounted for eerily similar 5.2%. Penalty area and final third entries were actually down against Dundee, but crossing accuracy was far better, at 26.3%.

Shot accuracy excluding blocked shots was 46.2% compared to 38.5 against Hearts and shooting accuracy was almost the same at 35.3%.

We asked for your thoughts after Wilfried Nancy suffered a disappointing bow as Celtic manager as his side were beaten 2-1 at Parkhead by Hearts on Sunday.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Peter: We can have no complaints with result. For second time this season we have been outplayed and outfought by Hearts. With current squad as it exits we need a magician as much as a manager. Tough times ahead unless we can bring in some attacking quality. Current squad simply not good enough.

Martyn: A lack of quality in the final third killed Celtic. When Yang is your best winger you know there is an issue with recruitment.

Stephen: Every time I think I've witnessed Celtic's worst performance of the season they go and outdo themselves. I know they were asked to play a new system today (not wise by the new manager three days into his reign) but they should have been good enough to beat that Hearts team. I've been holding out for January reinforcements but at this rate January will be too late.

Anon: That this was avoidable speaks to the ineptitude of the club. Why throw a new manager in at such a critical time when you could stick with Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney through to the League Cup final? And the new coach making so many changes in personnel and strategy in his first game is a major red flag.

Malcolm: Disappointing start but we'll still be lifting silverware next week and at the end of the season.

Liam: It's not a nightmare. It's one game. Celtic were looking bright early on but just became disjointed in a similar way they did under Brendan Rodgers and even under O'Neill at times. If Celtic strengthen in January, I think they will push on and win the league.

Johnnie: Big Ange didn't win his first three games and after that came a Celtic team that were a joy to watch. Let Nancy get his ideas in action and we'll be flying. No panic here.

John: No surprise. Somethings been missing all season - a goal scorer. Bring back Kyogo.

Watch highlights from the Scottish Premiership as title rivals Celtic and Hearts clash at Parkhead.

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