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The under-pressure manager insisted he was not afraid of the sack, asserting, “The team is really close to things turning around,” even after moving dangerously close to the chopping block with a convincing defeat by the Ibrox side.

A Second-Half Collapse Leads to Old Firm Defeat

Celtic were ahead Rangers at half-time but a disastrous second period enabled Rangers to draw level on points with the defending Scottish Premiership champions. The French coach, who was appointed in December, has now overseen six losses in his last eight fixtures.

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

Pressed on the speculation, Nancy said: “It’s not on my mind. I think about working out methods to get the team to excel on details.

Protest Erupts

Hundreds of supporters displayed their anger – aimed at the board and manager – by protesting outside the stadium. Club directors are thought to be considering to bring back Martin O’Neill, who steered the club during a caretaker period previously, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. That is the truth for the moment. However in stating this is the reality, I am not saying that I am pessimistic. Not at all. My point is we are really close, imminently close to turn things around.”

Focus on the Details

He remains focused on the fact Celtic play well for one half at a time. Indeed, if not for poor finishing they could have been more than 1-0 up. “I saw enough aside from the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay fair.

“The level we had at stages was exceptionally high. That happened. I could not say that if it was different. Therefore, in terms of results, I noted this is the same story. For that reason I believe we are really close to things turning around. Right now: details, details, details.”

“We produced many, many good things that we did, like today again. However comes down to performing for 90 minutes. My message would not be if I didn't believe it. That’s why I firmly believe we will manage to turn things around.”

Röhl’s Cautious Stance

The victorious boss was cautious about a championship push despite what appeared to be a landmark win. “We take it game by game, so we can really build up something here,” he said. “The confidence in the team is excellent.”