Defiant Celtic's manager insists he is not worried about the sack yet supporters unleash wrath following loss.
The under-pressure manager insisted he did not fear losing his job, asserting, “The team is extremely close to changing our fortunes,” in the wake of sliding worryingly close to the exit with a convincing setback against the Ibrox side.
A Second-Half Collapse Leads to Derby Loss
The Hoops had led Rangers at the break but a second-half capitulation allowed Rangers to draw level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was appointed in December, has now overseen six setbacks in his last eight games.
“There is unity with the board,” said the manager.
Pressed on whether he was concerned, the 48-year-old responded: “It’s not on my mind. My focus is on discovering solutions to aid my players to excel on small moments.
Fan Fury On Display
Celtic’s support voiced their fury – aimed at the board and manager – by gathering at Parkhead. The board would be most likely to return to the interim manager, who had a fruitful caretaker period before Nancy was hired, should a change be made.
“Wins and losses [that leads to pressure]. So this is the reality for the moment. However when I say that’s how it is, that is not a sign that I am giving up. No. What I mean the turnaround is near, really, really close to change the narrative.”
Nancy’s Persistent Belief
He highlights the fact Celtic can perform strongly for one half at a time. In fact, 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 a second goal,” he said. “I accept that we lost, but I have also to be balanced.
“The performance we had at certain moments was really, really, really high. That happened. I could not speak so positively if it was untrue. But that’s why, in terms of results, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. That’s why I feel a change is coming to things turning around. Currently: details, details, details.”
“I saw plenty of positives that we did, once more. But now comes down to performing for 90 minutes. My outlook would not be if it was not the case. Therefore I firmly believe we will manage to fix this.”
Röhl’s Cautious Outlook
Rangers manager played down talk of a championship push in spite of what appeared to be a landmark win. “Step by step, and we can develop a challenge,” he said. “The faith in the team is excellent.”
