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The Celtic boss declared he was not afraid of the sack, asserting, “We are extremely close to things turning around,” even after edging perilously close to being fired with a heavy defeat by their arch-rivals.

Another Collapse Sees Derby Loss

The home side had led Rangers at half-time but a second-half capitulation let Rangers to move level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. The French coach, who was brought in from Columbus Crew, has now been in charge for six setbacks in eight matches.

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

Pressed on whether he was concerned, Nancy replied: “I don’t think about it. My focus is on finding ways to get the team to excel on the fine details.

Fan Fury On Display

Hundreds of supporters made their feelings clear – directed at the hierarchy – by gathering at full time. Club directors are thought to be considering to return to Martin O’Neill, who had a fruitful temporary stint last year, should a change be made.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. So this is the situation for the moment. However by saying this is the reality, that is not a sign that I am a defeatist guy. Not at all. My point is the turnaround is near, extremely close to turn things around.”

“Really, Really Close”

Nancy continues to cling to the fact his team can perform strongly for 45 minutes at a time. Indeed, were it not for wastefulness in front of goal they would have been better than 1-0 up. “There were positives aside from the fact that we missed more goals,” he said. “I accept that we lost, but it's important to stay objective.

“The standard we had at certain moments was exceptionally high. That is a fact. I wouldn't speak so positively if it was different. But that’s why, in terms of results, I mentioned we've seen this before. That’s why I feel we are really close to a shift in fortunes. Right now: details, details, details.”

“We produced a lot of encouraging signs that we did, once more. But now is performing for 90 minutes. My outlook would be different if it was not the case. This is why I am convinced we will manage to fix this.”

Röhl’s Cautious Outlook

Rangers manager played down talk of a championship push in spite of what felt like a landmark win. “Step by step, and we can develop a challenge,” he said. “The belief in the team is immense.”