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Wilfried Nancy stated he did not fear dismissal, claiming, “The team is really close to things turning around,” in the wake of moving dangerously close to being fired with a heavy defeat by the Ibrox side.

A Second-Half Capitulation Sees Derby Loss

Celtic had led their oldest rivals at half-time but a disastrous second period let Rangers to draw level on points with the current league title holders. The French coach, who was appointed from Columbus Crew, has now presided over six setbacks in his last eight fixtures.

“There is unity with the board,” said the manager.

Pressed on whether he was concerned, he replied: “It’s not on my mind. I think about discovering solutions to get the team to improve on the fine details.

Fan Fury On Display

Celtic’s support voiced their fury – directed at the hierarchy – by gathering outside the stadium. Club directors are thought to be considering to re-appoint the former boss, who had a fruitful temporary stint before Nancy was hired, if Nancy departs.

“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the reality for the moment. Yet in stating this is the reality, it doesn’t mean that I am pessimistic. No. The message is we are really close, imminently close to change the narrative.”

Nancy’s Persistent Belief

He continues to cling to the fact the side play well for a half at a time. In fact, were it not for missed chances they could have been better than 1-0 up. “The performance had merit aside from the fact that we didn't take our chances,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but I have also to be balanced.

“The performance we had at times was of top quality. That happened. I could not say that if it was different. Therefore, in terms of results, I noted it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I said that we are nearly there to things turning around. But for the moment: small things.”

“I saw a lot of encouraging signs that we did, like today again. The issue now it’s about sustaining it. My narrative would change if I didn't believe it. Therefore I firmly believe we will manage to fix this.”

Opposition Reaction Outlook

Danny Röhl refused to contemplate a serious challenge in spite of what seemed like a statement victory. “We take it game by game, then we can gradually build a challenge,” he said. “The faith in the group is excellent.”