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Wilfried Nancy stated he did not fear dismissal, asserting, “The team is extremely close to changing our fortunes,” in the wake of sliding worryingly close to the chopping block with a convincing defeat by Rangers.

A Second-Half Meltdown Leads to Derby Disaster

Celtic had led Rangers at half-time but a disastrous second period let Danny Röhl’s team to pull level on points with the reigning Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was brought in in December, has now overseen six setbacks in his first eight fixtures.

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

Asked directly about his own future, Nancy said: “That’s not my focus. I think about working out methods to aid my players to be good on details.

Fan Fury Erupts

Hundreds of supporters made their feelings clear – directed at the board and manager – in their hundreds at Parkhead. The hierarchy would be most likely to bring back the former boss, who enjoyed a successful interim spell before Nancy was hired, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. That is the truth for the moment. But when I say this is the reality, I am not saying that I am pessimistic. Not at all. The message is the turnaround is near, really, really close to change the narrative.”

“Really, Really Close”

He remains focused on the fact the side show good levels for 45 minutes at a time. In fact, but for missed chances they might have been more than 1-0 up. “The performance had merit aside from the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but I must remain fair.

“The level we had at times was really, really, really high. That happened. I could not talk like that if it was different. But that’s why, regarding outcomes, I mentioned we've seen this before. Which is why I said that we are really close to getting it right. Right now: small things.”

“We produced plenty of positives that we did, like today again. But now comes down to sustaining it. My narrative would change if I didn't believe it. That’s why I firmly believe the team can to turn things around.”

The Rangers Boss Response

Rangers manager refused to contemplate a title charge even after what seemed like a huge result. “One match at a time, so we can really build up momentum,” he said. “The faith in the team is immense.”