The 10 worst Celtic and Rangers managers of all time - who was worse, Wilfried Nancy or Russell Martin?
A look at some of the worst Celtic and Rangers managers in history
Celtic’s decision to turn to Wilfried Nancy as their head coach back in December didn’t go to plan. He was picked as their replacement for Brendan Rodgers after catching the eye in MLS at Columbus Crew. However, the Frenchman struggled to adapt to life at Celtic Park and was sacked after only eight games.
Meanwhile, Russell Martin turned out to be the wrong appointment by Rangers last summer. Prior to his move to Ibrox, he worked down in England at MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton. Like Nancy, he didn’t make the impact he would have hoped to in Glasgow and was given the chop. Here is a look at the 10 worst Old Firm managers in history....
The top 10 worst Old Firm managers in history
10. Jock Wallace, Rangers, 43.65% (second spell): Wallace’s second spell in charge of Rangers wasn’t as successful as his first and he won only 43.65% of games from 1983 to 1986. He also had spells at Leicester City, Motherwell and Sevilla before his death in 1996.
9. Stuart McCall, Rangers, 41.18%: The Leeds-born man had a caretaker spell at Ibrox in 2015. He oversaw 17 games from the dugout and won seven of them.
8. John Kennedy, Celtic, 40%: He was named in interim charge of Celtic in 2021 after Neil Lennon’s exit. The 42-year-old picked up four wins in 10 matches.
7. Barry Ferguson, Rangers, 40%: Ferguson was handed the reigns at Rangers last season after Philippe Clement’s sacking. He didn’t go enough to land the full-time job in the end though and missed out to Martin, who has since been replaced by Danny Rohl.
6. Lou Macari, Celtic, 35.39%: Macari’s stint as a manager at Celtic didn’t result in success in the end. Prior to his move, he caught the eye down in England at Stoke City.
Who is the worst Old Firm manager in history?
5. Jimmy Nicholl, Rangers, 33.33%: Nicholl had three matches as Rangers boss after Pedro Caixinha’s dismissal back in 2019. He lost two of them before Steven Gerrard came in that summer.
4. Kenny McDowell, Rangers, 30%: The ex-Partick Thistle and St Mirren midfielder stepped in after Ally McCoist’s exit in 2014. He was in charge temporarily for 81 days and got only three victories to his name out of 10 outings.
3. Russell Martin, Rangers, 29.41%: His style of play didn’t suit Rangers earlier in this campaign. Martin never won over the fans and struggled to settle in before he was given the chop. He is now weighing up his next move and is still available.
2. Tommy McLean, Rangers, 25%: McLean was handed four fixtures in charge of the Gers back in 1983 after John Greig’s tenure. He won only one of them which means statistically he is among the worst Old Firm managers, as harsh as that seems.
1. Wilfried Nancy, Celtic, 25%: The fact Nancy had more games at the helm means he pips McLean to top spot. The Frenchman got only two wins in eight and lasted only 33 days.