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The Celtic boss stated he did not fear the sack, maintaining, “The team is extremely close to a turnaround,” in the wake of edging perilously close to the chopping block with a heavy setback against Rangers.

A Second-Half Collapse Leads to Old Firm Defeat

The home side had led their oldest rivals at the interval but a collapse after the break allowed Danny Röhl’s team to move level on points with the defending league title holders. Nancy, who was appointed in December, has now overseen six setbacks in his first eight games.

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

Pressed on his own future, he responded: “I don’t think about it. I think about working out methods to help my team to improve on small moments.

Protest Erupts

The fans voiced their fury – directed at the board and manager – in their hundreds outside the stadium. The board would be most likely to re-appoint Martin O’Neill, who enjoyed a successful temporary stint before Nancy was hired, if Nancy departs.

“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the reality for the moment. But when I say this is the reality, that is not a sign that I am a defeatist guy. No. My point is we are really close, extremely close to change the narrative.”

Nancy’s Persistent Belief

Nancy continues to cling to the fact Celtic can perform strongly for a half at a time. In fact, if not for missed chances they might have been better than 1-0 up. “I saw enough aside from the fact that we haven’t scored a second goal,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay objective.

“The performance we had at certain moments was of top quality. That happened. I wouldn't speak so positively if it was not the case. But that’s why, when it comes to wins, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. For that reason I said that we are nearly there to a shift in fortunes. But for the moment: the fine margins.”

“I saw a lot of encouraging signs that we did, once more. But now comes down to sustaining it. My narrative would change if it was not the case. Therefore I am convinced the team can to turn things around.”

The Rangers Boss Stance

The victorious boss was cautious about a serious challenge in spite of what seemed like a landmark win. “We take it game by game, and we can really build up a challenge,” he said. “The confidence in the group is outstanding.”