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The Celtic boss declared he was not afraid of the sack, claiming, “We are really close to things turning around,” in the wake of edging perilously close to being fired with a comprehensive defeat by the Ibrox side.

Another Meltdown Leads to Derby Loss

The Hoops had led the visitors at half-time but a second-half capitulation allowed the Gers to draw level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. The French coach, who was hired from Columbus Crew, has now been in charge for six losses in his first eight games.

“We are together with the board,” insisted the manager.

Questioned about whether he was concerned, the 48-year-old said: “That’s not my focus. I concentrate on finding ways to aid my players to excel on the fine details.

Fan Fury Erupts

Celtic’s support made their feelings clear – towards the dugout and directors – by gathering at Parkhead. Club directors would be most likely to return to the interim manager, who had a fruitful temporary stint previously, if the Frenchman were sacked.

“It’s the results [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the situation for the moment. However in stating that’s how it is, it doesn’t mean that I am a defeatist guy. Not at all. What I mean we are really close, really, really close to change the narrative.”

“Really, Really Close”

He continues to cling to the fact his team play well for 45 minutes at a time. For instance, if not for poor finishing they could have been greater than 1-0 up. “The performance had merit aside from the fact that we didn't take more goals,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but I must remain balanced.

“The standard we had at certain moments was of top quality. That happened. And I would not say that if it was untrue. Therefore, in terms of results, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. For that reason I said that we are nearly there to things turning around. But for the moment: the fine margins.”

“I saw a lot of encouraging signs that we did, once more. The issue now comes down to sustaining it. My outlook would not be if I didn't believe it. That’s why I am a big believer we will manage to turn things around.”

Opposition Reaction Stance

The victorious boss refused to contemplate a championship push despite what felt like a statement victory. “We take it game by game, then we can really build up momentum,” he said. “The faith in the squad is outstanding.”