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The Celtic boss declared he was not afraid of dismissal, maintaining, “I believe we are extremely close to a turnaround,” in the wake of sliding worryingly close to being fired with a convincing defeat by their arch-rivals.

A Second-Half Collapse Leads to Derby Defeat

The home side had led Rangers at the break but a disastrous second period enabled Danny Röhl’s team to draw level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was brought in from Columbus Crew, has now overseen six defeats in his last eight matches.

“There is unity with the board,” said the manager.

Pressed on his own future, Nancy responded: “That’s not my focus. My focus is on working out methods to help my team to excel on the fine details.

Supporters' Anger Outside Parkhead

Celtic’s support made their feelings clear – directed at the board and manager – by protesting at Parkhead. The board are thought to be considering to return to Martin O’Neill, who steered the club during a interim spell last year, should a change be made.

“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. That is the reality for the moment. However in stating this is the reality, that is not a sign that I am pessimistic. Absolutely not. My point is we are on the cusp, extremely close to turn things around.”

Focus on the Details

Nancy continues to cling to the fact Celtic can perform strongly for a half at a time. For instance, were it not for poor finishing they might have been more than 1-0 up. “I saw enough aside from the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I know that we lost, but I have also to be fair.

“The level we had at times was of top quality. This is the reality. I wouldn't speak so positively if it was different. But that’s why, regarding outcomes, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I said that a change is coming to things turning around. Currently: details, details, details.”

“We produced plenty of positives that we did, like today again. However is consistency. My outlook would not be the same. Therefore I firmly believe we’re going to be able to get back on track.”

The Rangers Boss Outlook

Danny Röhl was cautious about a championship push despite what appeared to be a huge result. “We take it game by game, then we can really build up momentum,” he said. “The belief in the team is immense.”