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Wilfried Nancy declared he was not afraid of losing his job, asserting, “The team is really close to things turning around,” despite edging perilously close to being fired with a comprehensive loss to Rangers.

Another Meltdown Leads to Derby Loss

The Hoops were ahead their oldest rivals at the interval but a collapse after the break let Rangers to move level on points with the current league title holders. The French coach, who was brought in in December, has now been in charge for six losses in his first eight matches.

“We are together with the board,” stated Nancy.

Asked directly about whether he was concerned, he replied: “That’s not my focus. My focus is on discovering solutions to help my team to excel on small moments.

Protest On Display

Hundreds of supporters displayed their anger – towards the dugout and directors – by protesting at Parkhead. The hierarchy are thought to be considering to re-appoint Martin O’Neill, who had a fruitful interim spell previously, if Nancy departs.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. That is the reality for the moment. But by saying this is the reality, that is not a sign that I am a defeatist guy. No. The message is we are really close, really, really close to turn things around.”

“Really, Really Close”

He continues to cling to the fact Celtic can perform strongly for 45 minutes at a time. In fact, were it not for missed chances they might have been better than 1-0 up. “The performance had merit other than the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I accept that we lost, but it's important to stay balanced.

“The performance we had at times was really, really, really high. That is a fact. I could not say that if it was different. Therefore, in terms of results, I said it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I believe we are really close to a shift in fortunes. Currently: the fine margins.”

“I saw a lot of encouraging signs that we did, once more. But now it’s about consistency. My message would be different if it was not the case. That’s why I am a big believer the team can to get back on track.”

Opposition Reaction Outlook

Danny Röhl refused to contemplate a championship push in spite of what seemed like a landmark win. “We take it game by game, so we can develop a challenge,” he said. “The confidence in the team is outstanding.”