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The Celtic boss insisted he did not fear losing his job, maintaining, “I believe we are very near to changing our fortunes,” in the wake of moving dangerously close to being fired with a comprehensive defeat by the Ibrox side.

Another Meltdown Leads to Old Firm Defeat

The Hoops were ahead the visitors at the interval but a collapse after the break allowed Rangers to pull level on points with the defending Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was hired in December, has now overseen six setbacks in eight fixtures.

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

Questioned about his own future, Nancy said: “That’s not my focus. My focus is on working out methods to get the team to improve on details.

Fan Fury On Display

Celtic’s support voiced their fury – towards the dugout and directors – in their hundreds outside the stadium. The hierarchy are thought to be considering to re-appoint the interim manager, who had a fruitful caretaker period last year, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the situation for the moment. Yet in stating this is the reality, it doesn’t mean that I am pessimistic. No. What I mean we are really close, really, really close to reverse our form.”

“Really, Really Close”

The coach continues to cling to the fact Celtic play well for a half at a time. Indeed, if not for missed chances they might have been greater than 1-0 up. “There were positives aside from the fact that we didn't take more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay balanced.

“The performance we had at times was exceptionally high. That is a fact. And I would not talk like that if it was different. That is the reason, when it comes to wins, I noted we've seen this before. For that reason I believe we are nearly there to getting it right. Right now: small things.”

“We produced plenty of positives that we did, as was the case today. But now it’s about performing for 90 minutes. My narrative would be different if I didn't believe it. This is why I am convinced we will manage to get back on track.”

Opposition Reaction Outlook

Rangers manager played down talk of a serious challenge in spite of what appeared to be a landmark win. “We take it game by game, so we can gradually build a challenge,” he said. “The belief in the squad is immense.”