Shortest managerial stints at Celtic: Wilfried Nancy sacked after 33 days

Wilfried Nancy's Celtic nightmare has come to an end after just 33 days.

The Frenchman was sacked on Monday after the club were beaten 3-1 at home to Old Firm rivals Rangers this weekend.

That defeat meant Nancy had won just two of his eight games in charge since he was handed the reins with the club joint-top of the Scottish Premiership.

Nancy was welcomed with significant fanfare after he earned a reputation for his tactical nous during his time managing in Major League Soccer with the likes of CF Montreal and Columbus Crew.

However, his arrival was soured after he became the first manager to lose their first two competitive games in charge of the club, and followed that up with a further two defeats that marked the first time in 47 years that Celtic had lost four on the bounce.

While Nancy's stint in Glasgow will go down in the record books for all the wrong reasons, he isn't the first manager to find patience hard to come by at Celtic Park.

We've taken a look back at some of the shortest-tenured permanent managers in Celtic's history.

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Wilfried Nancy

December 2025 - January 2026
Games in charge: 8
Win rate: 25%

Owner of the unwanted record of the worst win rate in the club's 138-year history, Nancy's tenure at the club will be one both he and Celtic will be wanting to forget.

After interim boss Martin O'Neill steadied the ship following Brendan Rodgers' departure, Nancy was expected to come in and push the Bhoys on as they looked to compete on multiple fronts.

Since then however, Celtic were beaten in the Scottish League Cup final by St Mirren, found themselves in danger of missing out a place in the knockout phase in the UEFA Europa League, and have fallen six points behind current Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.

John Barnes

June 1999 - February 2000
Games in charge: 29
Win rate: 65.52%

One of the most celebrated players of his generation, John Barnes was named Celtic manager in the summer of 1999 following Jozef Venglos' departure just weeks after hanging up his boots.

The move represented a significant gamble on the part of the club's board, with the inexperienced Barnes making his managerial debut with the Scottish giants just one week after he was turned down for a role at Sheffield United.

Barnes' tenure would ultimately last just eight months, with an infamous 3-1 defeat to second-tier Inverness in the Scottish Cup signalling the end of his time at the club.

Lou Macari

October 1993 - June 1994
Games in charge: 34
Win rate: 35.29%

Most famous south of the border for his 11-year stint as a player with Manchester United, Lou Macari had begun his playing career at Celtic and returned to the club as manager in October 1993 after an impressive stint in charge of Stoke City.

Celtic got off to a perfect start under Macari, beating Rangers 2-1 at Ibrox, but from that point onward the club's form deteriorated and Macari failed to endear himself to the same fans that had initially heralded his arrival.

A dismal transfer record combined with questionable training methods saw Macari fail to earn the favour of many of his players, and the end of his second and final stint at the club came the following June - reportedly while he was travelling to the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Tony Mowbray

June 2009 - March 2010
Games in charge: 45
Win rate: 51.11%

Another former Celtic player who later took charge of the club, Tony Mowbray was appointed manager in June 2009 off the back of an impressive three-year stint at West Brom that saw him lead them to an EFL Championship title as well as an FA Cup semi-final.

Like Macari before him, Mowbray also started promisingly enough in Glasgow - with impressive performances both domestically and on the continent, with a 2-0 win over Dynamo Moscow in a UEFA Champions League qualifying clash marking the clubs first away win in Europe for more than six years.

A run of just three wins from eight games in early 2010 put Mowbray on thin ice, and his tenure ultimately came to an end that March as he was dismissed with the club 10 points behind Rangers in the title race.