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The Celtic boss stated he did not fear dismissal, claiming, “I believe we are very near to changing our fortunes,” in the wake of sliding worryingly close to being fired with a convincing defeat by their arch-rivals.

A Second-Half Meltdown Leads to Derby Defeat

The Hoops were ahead their oldest rivals at the break but a collapse after the break enabled the Gers to move level on points with the reigning league title holders. The former MLS manager, who was brought in from the MLS, has now been in charge for six setbacks in his last eight matches.

“We are together at the club,” said Nancy.

Questioned about the speculation, he responded: “I don’t think about it. I think about finding ways to help my team to be good on small moments.

Protest On Display

Hundreds of supporters displayed their anger – towards the dugout and directors – by gathering at Parkhead. Club directors would be most likely to re-appoint the former boss, who had a fruitful temporary stint last year, if Nancy departs.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the situation for the moment. Yet by saying that’s how it is, that is not a sign that I am giving up. Absolutely not. What I mean the turnaround is near, imminently close to change the narrative.”

“Really, Really Close”

He highlights the fact Celtic can perform strongly for one half at a time. In fact, if not for wastefulness in front of goal they could have been better than 1-0 up. “There were positives except the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I know that we lost, but it's important to stay objective.

“The standard we had at times was really, really, really high. That happened. And I would not say that if it was not the case. But that’s why, in terms of results, I said we've seen this before. For that reason I feel we are really close to getting it right. But for the moment: small things.”

“I saw a lot of encouraging signs that we did, as was the case today. The issue now is performing for 90 minutes. My message would be different if I didn't believe it. Therefore I firmly believe we’re going to be able to turn things around.”

The Rangers Boss Stance

Danny Röhl played down talk of a serious challenge even after what felt like a huge result. “We take it game by game, and we can gradually build something here,” he said. “The faith in the squad is immense.”