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Wilfried Nancy declared he did not fear dismissal, maintaining, “I believe we are very near to changing our fortunes,” even after sliding worryingly close to the exit with a comprehensive setback against Rangers.

A Second-Half Collapse Results in Derby Loss

The Hoops had led Rangers at the interval but a disastrous second period allowed Rangers to pull level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. The French coach, who was brought in from Columbus Crew, has now presided over six losses in his last eight games.

“There is unity at the club,” said Nancy.

Questioned about whether he was concerned, the 48-year-old responded: “It’s not on my mind. I concentrate on working out methods to help my team to be good on details.

Fan Fury Erupts

The fans displayed their anger – towards the hierarchy – by protesting at full time. The board are thought to be considering to bring back the interim manager, who had a fruitful interim spell previously, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. That is the truth for the moment. However in stating this is the reality, it doesn’t mean that I am pessimistic. Absolutely not. My point is we are on the cusp, imminently close to turn things around.”

“Really, Really Close”

The coach highlights the fact Celtic can perform strongly for a half at a time. For instance, if not for missed chances they could have been more than 1-0 up. “The performance had merit other than the fact that we haven’t scored a second goal,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but I have also to be fair.

“The performance we had at certain moments was really, really, really high. This is the reality. And I would not speak so positively if it was different. That is the reason, in terms of results, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I said that we are nearly there to getting it right. Right now: small things.”

“We produced plenty of positives that we did, once more. However it’s about performing for 90 minutes. My outlook would not be the same. Therefore I am a big believer the team can to get back on track.”

The Rangers Boss Stance

Rangers manager played down talk of a championship push in spite of what felt like a landmark win. “One match at a time, then we can develop something here,” he said. “The confidence in the team is outstanding.”