The under-pressure manager declared he was not afraid of the sack, claiming, “The team is extremely close to a turnaround,” in the wake of sliding worryingly close to the exit with a convincing loss to their arch-rivals.
A Second-Half Meltdown Sees Derby Defeat
The Hoops were in front Rangers at half-time but a collapse after the break enabled Rangers to move level on points with the current league title holders. The French coach, who was appointed from Columbus Crew, has now presided over six losses in eight fixtures.
“There is unity with the board,” insisted Nancy.
Asked directly about whether he was concerned, Nancy replied: “That’s not my focus. I concentrate on working out methods to get the team to be good on the fine details.
Fan Fury Erupts
Celtic’s support voiced their fury – towards the board and manager – in their hundreds at Parkhead. Club directors are thought to be considering to return to the interim manager, who enjoyed a successful temporary stint before Nancy was hired, should a change be made.
“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. So this is the situation for the moment. However by saying this is the reality, that is not a sign that I am a defeatist guy. No. My point is the turnaround is near, imminently close to turn things around.”
Nancy’s Persistent Belief
He remains focused on the fact his team play well for one half at a time. In fact, if not for wastefulness in front of goal they might have been more than 1-0 up. “There were positives other than the fact that we haven’t scored more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay objective.
“The standard we had at stages was exceptionally high. That happened. And I would not talk like that if it was untrue. Therefore, regarding outcomes, I said it's a repeating pattern. Which is why I believe a change is coming to getting it right. Right now: small things.”
“There were a lot of encouraging signs that we did, once more. But now is sustaining it. My narrative would change the same. This is why I firmly believe we’re going to be able to fix this.”
Opposition Reaction Stance
The victorious boss refused to contemplate a serious challenge in spite of what felt like a landmark win. “We take it game by game, and we can gradually build a challenge,” he said. “The belief in the team is immense.”
