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Wilfried Nancy declared he was not afraid of losing his job, asserting, “We are very near to changing our fortunes,” even after sliding worryingly close to the exit with a heavy loss to their arch-rivals.

A Second-Half Collapse Leads to Old Firm Loss

The Hoops had led their oldest rivals at the break but a collapse after the break enabled the Gers to move level on points with the defending league title holders. The French coach, who was hired from the MLS, has now overseen six defeats in his last eight fixtures.

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

Pressed on the speculation, he responded: “That’s not my focus. I think about working out methods to get the team to excel on the fine details.

Supporters' Anger Outside Parkhead

Hundreds of supporters made their feelings clear – towards the hierarchy – in their hundreds at Parkhead. The hierarchy are thought to be considering to bring back the former boss, who had a fruitful temporary stint last year, if Nancy departs.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. That is the situation for the moment. But when I say this is the reality, I am not saying that I am giving up. Not at all. The message is we are really close, really, really close to turn things around.”

Nancy’s Persistent Belief

He remains focused on the fact Celtic play well for 45 minutes at a time. Indeed, were it not for wastefulness in front of goal they would have been more than 1-0 up. “I saw enough except the fact that we missed a second goal,” he said. “I know that we lost, but I have also to be balanced.

“The performance we had at stages was of top quality. This is the reality. I could not say that if it was untrue. But that’s why, in terms of results, I said this is the same story. For that reason I said that a change is coming to a shift in fortunes. Right now: small things.”

“There were plenty of positives that we did, as was the case today. The issue now it’s about consistency. My message would change if I didn't believe it. That’s why I am convinced we will manage to get back on track.”

Röhl’s Cautious Response

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, then we can gradually build momentum,” he said. “The faith in the squad is excellent.”