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Wilfried Nancy insisted he was not afraid of dismissal, claiming, “The team is very near to a turnaround,” despite sliding worryingly close to being fired with a comprehensive defeat by the Ibrox side.

A Second-Half Collapse Leads to Derby Defeat

The Hoops were in front Rangers at half-time but a collapse after the break allowed Rangers to draw level on points with the reigning league title holders. The former MLS manager, who was brought in from Columbus Crew, has now overseen six losses in his first eight matches.

“The board and I are united at the club,” stated the manager.

Questioned about the speculation, Nancy said: “I don’t think about it. I think about finding ways to get the team to excel on the fine details.

Protest Erupts

The fans displayed their anger – directed at the dugout and directors – by gathering at Parkhead. The hierarchy are reportedly likely to re-appoint Martin O’Neill, who had a fruitful caretaker period before Nancy was hired, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the reality for the moment. Yet in stating this is the reality, I am not saying that I am pessimistic. No. The message is we are on the cusp, extremely close to turn things around.”

Nancy’s Persistent Belief

He highlights the fact Celtic show good levels for one half at a time. Indeed, were it not for wastefulness in front of goal they would have been more than 1-0 up. “I saw enough aside from the fact that we missed our chances,” he said. “I accept that we lost, but I have also to be fair.

“The standard we had at times was really, really, really high. That is a fact. I could not say that if it was not the case. That is the reason, regarding outcomes, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I said that we are nearly there to a shift in fortunes. But for the moment: details, details, details.”

“We produced a lot of encouraging signs that we did, as was the case today. But now comes down to performing for 90 minutes. My outlook would be different the same. That’s why I am convinced we will manage to turn things around.”

Opposition Reaction Outlook

The victorious boss played down talk of a championship push even after what felt like a huge result. “We take it game by game, so we can really build up a challenge,” he said. “The confidence in the group is excellent.”