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Wilfried Nancy insisted he was not afraid of dismissal, claiming, “We are very near to a turnaround,” even after moving dangerously close to being fired with a comprehensive setback against their arch-rivals.

A Second-Half Meltdown Results in Old Firm Defeat

The Hoops were in front the visitors at the interval but a collapse after the break allowed the Gers to draw level on points with the current league title holders. Nancy, who was appointed in December, has now overseen six setbacks in his first eight fixtures.

“The board and I are united with the board,” stated Nancy.

Pressed on whether he was concerned, the 48-year-old replied: “That’s not my focus. I concentrate on discovering solutions to get the team to excel on details.

Protest Erupts

Hundreds of supporters made their feelings clear – aimed at the board and manager – in their hundreds at Parkhead. The hierarchy are reportedly likely to re-appoint the interim manager, who steered the club during a interim spell last year, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. So this is the reality for the moment. But by saying that’s how it is, it doesn’t mean that I am pessimistic. Not at all. My point is the turnaround is near, really, really close to change the narrative.”

“Really, Really Close”

The coach continues to cling to the fact Celtic can perform strongly for 45 minutes at a time. Indeed, were it not for missed chances they could have been more than 1-0 up. “There were positives other than the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but I must remain fair.

“The performance we had at certain moments was really, really, really high. This is the reality. I wouldn't talk like that if it was different. Therefore, in terms of results, I said it's a repeating pattern. For that reason I said that we are nearly there to getting it right. Right now: details, details, details.”

“There were many, many good things that we did, once more. But now comes down to consistency. My outlook would not be if I didn't believe it. That’s why I firmly believe we will manage to turn things around.”

Röhl’s Cautious Response

Rangers manager was cautious about a championship push despite what seemed like a statement victory. “We take it game by game, so we can develop a challenge,” he said. “The faith in the group is immense.”