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The under-pressure manager insisted he did not fear dismissal, maintaining, “I believe we are really close to changing our fortunes,” despite sliding worryingly close to being fired with a heavy loss to the Ibrox side.

A Second-Half Meltdown Leads to Old Firm Defeat

The home side were ahead the visitors at the break but a collapse after the break allowed the Gers to draw level on points with the current league title holders. The French coach, who was appointed in December, has now overseen six defeats in his last eight fixtures.

“There is unity at the club,” insisted the manager.

Asked directly about his own future, he said: “I don’t think about it. I concentrate on working out methods to get the team to improve on details.

Protest Erupts

Celtic’s support voiced their fury – aimed at the board and manager – by gathering at Parkhead. The hierarchy would be most likely to bring back the interim manager, who steered the club during a caretaker period last year, if Nancy departs.

“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. So this is the situation for the moment. But when I say this is the reality, it doesn’t mean that I am giving up. Absolutely not. What I mean we are really close, really, really close to turn things around.”

Focus on the Details

Nancy highlights the fact Celtic show good levels for 45 minutes at a time. For instance, were it not for poor finishing they could have been more than 1-0 up. “I saw enough except the fact that we haven’t scored our chances,” he said. “I accept that we lost, but I must remain balanced.

“The performance we had at certain moments was really, really, really high. That happened. I could not say that if it was different. That is the reason, regarding outcomes, I mentioned this is the same story. Which is why I said that a change is coming to a shift in fortunes. Right now: details, details, details.”

“We produced many, many good things that we did, once more. But now comes down to performing for 90 minutes. My message would change the same. This is why I am a big believer we’re going to be able to fix this.”

Opposition Reaction Response

The victorious boss played down talk of a title charge despite what seemed like a landmark win. “Step by step, so we can develop a challenge,” he said. “The belief in the squad is immense.”