Bullish Celtic's manager shows no fear of dismissal but the Parkhead faithful unleash fury after derby defeat.

Wilfried Nancy insisted he did not fear the sack, maintaining, “I believe we are extremely close to changing our fortunes,” despite moving dangerously close to the exit with a convincing loss to their arch-rivals.

Another Collapse Sees Derby Defeat

Celtic had led their oldest rivals at the interval but a disastrous second period enabled Danny Röhl’s team to draw level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. The French coach, who was hired in December, has now overseen six losses in his last eight fixtures.

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

Asked directly about his own future, he replied: “That’s not my focus. My focus is on finding ways to get the team to be good on details.

Supporters' Anger Erupts

Hundreds of supporters voiced their fury – towards the board and manager – by gathering at Parkhead. The board would be most likely to return to Martin O’Neill, who had a fruitful temporary stint last year, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the truth for the moment. However in stating that’s how it is, I am not saying that I am a defeatist guy. Not at all. My point is the turnaround is near, really, really close to turn things around.”

“Really, Really Close”

He continues to cling to the fact the side play well for a half at a time. For instance, but for missed chances they might have been more than 1-0 up. “There were positives aside from the fact that we missed more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay objective.

“The performance we had at stages was of top quality. That is a fact. And I would not talk like that if it was different. But that’s why, when it comes to wins, I said we've seen this before. For that reason I said that we are really close to a shift in fortunes. But for the moment: details, details, details.”

“There were plenty of positives that we did, once more. But now comes down to consistency. My message would change if it was not the case. That’s why I am a big believer the team can to turn things around.”

Opposition Reaction Outlook

Rangers manager refused to contemplate a championship push despite what felt like a landmark win. “Step by step, then we can gradually build momentum,” he said. “The confidence in the team is excellent.”