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The Celtic boss stated he had no concerns about losing his job, claiming, “I believe we are very near to changing our fortunes,” in the wake of sliding worryingly close to the chopping block with a comprehensive loss to Rangers.

Another Meltdown Results in Derby Defeat

The Hoops were in front Rangers at the interval but a second-half capitulation allowed Rangers to pull level on points with the current league title holders. The former MLS manager, who was appointed in December, has now presided over six losses in his last eight fixtures.

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

Asked directly about the speculation, Nancy replied: “That’s not my focus. I concentrate on finding ways to get the team to excel on the fine details.

Protest Erupts

The fans displayed their anger – towards the dugout and directors – in their hundreds at full time. Club directors are reportedly likely to bring back Martin O’Neill, who had a fruitful caretaker period last year, if Nancy departs.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. So this is the situation for the moment. But in stating that’s how it is, that is not a sign that I am a defeatist guy. No. My point is the turnaround is near, imminently close to change the narrative.”

Nancy’s Persistent Belief

He highlights the fact his team play well for a half at a time. In fact, if not for wastefulness in front of goal they could have been more than 1-0 up. “I saw enough aside from the fact that we haven’t scored a second goal,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay balanced.

“The level we had at stages was of top quality. This is the reality. I could not talk like that if it was untrue. That is the reason, in terms of results, I mentioned we've seen this before. For that reason I feel we are really close to things turning around. Currently: small things.”

“There were many, many good things that we did, like today again. But now it’s about consistency. My message would be different the same. Therefore I am a big believer we’re going to be able to fix this.”

The Rangers Boss Stance

The victorious boss played down talk of a serious challenge in spite of what seemed like a landmark win. “We take it game by game, then we can gradually build a challenge,” he said. “The belief in the team is immense.”