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The under-pressure manager insisted he had no concerns about dismissal, claiming, “The team is really close to a turnaround,” in the wake of edging perilously close to being fired with a heavy defeat by their arch-rivals.

A Second-Half Capitulation Results in Old Firm Disaster

Celtic had led the visitors at the break but a collapse after the break enabled Rangers to draw level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was brought in in December, has now been in charge for six setbacks in his first eight games.

“There is unity with the board,” insisted Nancy.

Pressed on the speculation, Nancy responded: “It’s not on my mind. My focus is on discovering solutions to help my team to excel on details.

Protest Outside Parkhead

Celtic’s support voiced their fury – aimed at the hierarchy – in their hundreds outside the stadium. The hierarchy would be most likely to re-appoint the interim manager, who had a fruitful temporary stint before Nancy was hired, should a change be made.

“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. That is the reality for the moment. Yet in stating this is the reality, it doesn’t mean that I am giving up. Not at all. My point is we are really close, imminently close to reverse our form.”

“Really, Really Close”

Nancy continues to cling to the fact Celtic show good levels for 45 minutes at a time. In fact, if not for missed chances they could have been better than 1-0 up. “The performance had merit aside from the fact that we missed a second goal,” he said. “I accept that we lost, but it's important to stay balanced.

“The performance we had at certain moments was of top quality. This is the reality. I could not say that if it was untrue. Therefore, when it comes to wins, I mentioned this is the same story. For that reason I said that we are nearly there to things turning around. But for the moment: small things.”

“There were a lot of encouraging signs that we did, once more. However comes down to performing for 90 minutes. My narrative would change the same. That’s why I am convinced the team can to turn things around.”

Opposition Reaction Outlook

Rangers manager played down talk of a championship push despite what felt like a statement victory. “Step by step, then we can gradually build a challenge,” he said. “The faith in the team is immense.”