Livingston v Celtic – Wilfried Nancy’s Pre-Match Media Conference

Celtic fan media remains banned, pending the outcome of Celtic’s ‘review’ which as things stand has not involved any communication whatsoever. If they are looking for happy clappers and compliant bloggers taking their orders from the boardroom then they should save themselves the cost of the phone call.

Here’s everything that the mainstream media asked and the responses given by Wilfried Nancy who seems more relaxed after getting his first win as Celtic manager against Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon at Celtic Park…

Q: How’s the mood been since Sunday’s big victory against Aberdeen?

Wilfried Nancy: “It’s been good, it’s been good. I finished rewatching the game and we have many things to work on. We won the game, yes, but it doesn’t change my life because I have to go back and work again like we did when we lost. Obviously, the mood is better because we know what it means. For my players, this is important, just to validate what they did well since I came here. So obviously this is good for them.”

Q: In terms of yourself though, you must have taken so much belief, not just from the result, but the fact that you created so many chances?

Wilfried Nancy: “The game against Dundee United was the same. We also had opportunities against Hearts, we didn’t score. I think that each game that we played, we had many, many chances. That’s why I said that we deserve more wins. But what I can see is that, again, I just finished watching the game, and I saw a really good game, a coherent game, regarding the way we want to attack, the way we want to defend, the aggression that we want to have. And yes, we played against ten men, but we provoked that. And for me, this is important. So yeah, this is a good progression for the moment.”

Q: Do you feel that on that progression, the only way is up at the moment?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, because I am like this. Imagine a leader who is not positive? It could be difficult for the players, no? But again, I am honest with them. When this is good, I tell them. When we have to work on certain things, I also tell them. So I think that there are good improvements, but this is only the beginning. We have many things that we can adjust. And that’s why I’m really happy with the performance that we had, because I can push them a little bit more regarding certain things.”

Q: In terms of the game, did you see one thing in particular that changed against Aberdeen from the previous four games?

Wilfried Nancy: “No, because we were better in terms of execution. The execution that we had against Aberdeen was a bit better, but in the previous game, we could have scored so many goals too. So against Dundee United, I think we missed three or four tap-ins, so we could have scored. We could have been 3-0 up at half-time, but it was not the case. Also what I like is the competitive spirit. Yes, we conceded one goal, but to avoid… We are better in terms of set-pieces. Not the first contact, because it’s been good for the moment, but for the second contact and for the second ball and third wave. So that’s why, for me, the competitive spirit that we had was really good. But again, the only difference is that we scored goals. Because like I said, we had really good performances, not during all the games, but during a few halves, but we didn’t score. And now we did score, so it’s not the same story.”

Continues on the next page…