Defiant Celtic's manager shows no fear of being fired but the Parkhead faithful display fury after defeat.

Wilfried Nancy stated he was not afraid of losing his job, maintaining, “The team is really close to a turnaround,” even after edging perilously close to the chopping block with a heavy defeat by their arch-rivals.

Another Meltdown Leads to Derby Disaster

The Hoops were in front their oldest rivals at the interval but a second-half capitulation allowed Rangers to pull level on points with the reigning Scottish Premiership champions. The former MLS manager, who was hired from Columbus Crew, has now been in charge for six losses in eight games.

“We are together with the board,” insisted the manager.

Pressed on whether he was concerned, Nancy responded: “I don’t think about it. I concentrate on finding ways to get the team to excel on the fine details.

Supporters' Anger Outside Parkhead

The fans voiced their fury – aimed at the board and manager – in their hundreds at full time. The hierarchy would be most likely to re-appoint the interim manager, who enjoyed a successful interim spell before Nancy was hired, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the truth for the moment. But when I say this is the reality, I am not saying that I am a defeatist guy. Absolutely not. My point is we are really close, really, really close to turn things around.”

“Really, Really Close”

The coach continues to cling to the fact his team can perform strongly for 45 minutes at a time. Indeed, if not for missed chances they might have been more than 1-0 up. “There were positives aside from the fact that we didn't take our chances,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay objective.

“The performance we had at stages was exceptionally high. That happened. I could not say that if it was untrue. But that’s why, regarding outcomes, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I believe a change is coming to getting it right. But for the moment: the fine margins.”

“We produced many, many good things that we did, like today again. However it’s about consistency. My outlook would not be if it was not the case. This is why I firmly believe the team can to fix this.”

The Rangers Boss Response

The victorious boss refused to contemplate a serious challenge despite what felt like a statement victory. “Step by step, then we can develop a challenge,” he said. “The faith in the group is excellent.”