Celtic sacks manager Nancy – Rod in party mood

It was to be expected. Just two days after their 1-3 home defeat in the Glasgow derby, Celtic Football Club pulled the plug and sacked manager Wilfried Nancy after only 33 days in charge. Under the Frenchman, the Hoops had suffered six defeats in their last eight games. Nancy was joined by his assistant coaches Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen and Maxime Chalier in leaving the club.

About an hour after the club's announcement, superfan Rod Stewart took to social media to celebrate the departure of the hapless team manager. "He's gone, he's gone! Wilfried Nancy was sacked or left of his own accord, I don't care either way, he's just not at Celtic anymore," Sir Rod celebrated the departure of the unpopular coach.

The soon-to-be 81-year-old Celtic maniac hopes to see an old acquaintance return as his successor. ‘We need Martin back,’ demanded Sir Rod, then addressing Nancy's predecessor directly: ‘We need you, Martin O'Neill. Please take over until the end of the season and then maybe we can get Robbie Keane. That would be a godsend.’ With that, he announced in typical Stewart humour: ‘And now I'm off to the pub to celebrate!’

And once again, some time later, Sir Rod's prayers were answered. In the evening, Celtic Football Club announced that Martin O'Neill would be returning to the dugout at Paradise with immediate effect. Together with his assistant coaches Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, the Irishman will take over until the end of the season. Whether Sir Rod picked up the phone in the meantime and persuaded MON, as the coach is fondly known, to take this step remains a matter of speculation.