The Celtic boss stated he had no concerns about losing his job, claiming, “I believe we are extremely close to a turnaround,” despite sliding worryingly close to the chopping block with a heavy loss to the Ibrox side.
The home side were ahead Rangers at the interval but a collapse after the break enabled the Gers to pull level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was brought in in December, has now been in charge for six setbacks in his first eight fixtures.
“The board and I are united at the club,” insisted the manager.
Questioned about the speculation, the 48-year-old said: “That’s not my focus. My focus is on working out methods to aid my players to excel on small moments.
Celtic’s support made their feelings clear – aimed at the dugout and directors – by protesting outside the stadium. The hierarchy would be most likely to bring back the former boss, who had a fruitful caretaker period before Nancy was hired, if the Frenchman were sacked.
“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. So this is the situation for the moment. But by saying this is the reality, I am not saying that I am a defeatist guy. Not at all. The message is the turnaround is near, extremely close to change the narrative.”
The coach continues to cling to the fact his team play well for a half at a time. In fact, if not for poor finishing they could have been more than 1-0 up. “There were positives other than the fact that we missed a second goal,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but I must remain objective.
“The level we had at certain moments was exceptionally high. This is the reality. I could not say that if it was untrue. Therefore, in terms of results, I mentioned we've seen this before. Which is why I feel we are really close to a shift in fortunes. But for the moment: details, details, details.”
“There were many, many good things that we did, like today again. But now is consistency. My outlook would change if it was not the case. That’s why I am convinced we will manage to turn things around.”
Rangers manager was cautious about a title charge despite what appeared to be a landmark win. “One match at a time, and we can develop momentum,” he said. “The confidence in the group is excellent.”
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