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The Celtic boss insisted he was not afraid of dismissal, asserting, “I believe we are extremely close to a turnaround,” despite edging perilously close to the chopping block with a convincing setback against the Ibrox side.

Another Collapse Sees Old Firm Disaster

Celtic were ahead their oldest rivals at the interval but a second-half capitulation let Rangers to draw level on points with the current Scottish Premiership champions. The former MLS manager, who was brought in from Columbus Crew, has now overseen six losses in his last eight fixtures.

“We are together at the club,” said the manager.

Pressed on the speculation, he replied: “That’s not my focus. I concentrate on discovering solutions to aid my players to excel on details.

Supporters' Anger Outside Parkhead

Celtic’s support made their feelings clear – aimed at the dugout and directors – by protesting at full time. The board are reportedly likely to return to the interim manager, who enjoyed a successful caretaker period previously, should a change be made.

“The outcomes [that leads to pressure]. And that’s the reality for the moment. Yet by saying this is the reality, I am not saying that I am pessimistic. Absolutely not. My point is the turnaround is near, extremely close to change the narrative.”

“Really, Really Close”

The coach continues to cling to the fact Celtic play well for 45 minutes at a time. In fact, were it not for missed chances they could have been greater than 1-0 up. “There were positives aside from the fact that we didn't take our chances,” he said. “I acknowledge that we lost, but it's important to stay balanced.

“The performance we had at certain moments was really, really, really high. This is the reality. And I would not talk like that if it was different. Therefore, regarding outcomes, I mentioned it's a repeating pattern. Which is why I believe we are nearly there to things turning around. But for the moment: the fine margins.”

“There were plenty of positives that we did, like today again. The issue now is consistency. My outlook would not be the same. Therefore I am a big believer we’re going to be able to fix this.”

Opposition Reaction Response

The victorious boss refused to contemplate a title charge even after what appeared to be a landmark win. “One match at a time, and we can develop something here,” he said. “The faith in the team is excellent.”