• Frenchman’s dire record continues with sixth loss in eight

• Fans protest against board and manager outside stadium

Wilfried Nancy insisted he did not fear the sack, claiming, “We are really close to things turning around,” despite the Celtic manager moving dangerously close to dismissal with a comprehensive defeat by Rangers.

Celtic led their oldest rivals at the interval but a second-half capitulation from the hosts allowed Danny Röhl’s team to move level on points with the defending Scottish Premiership champions. Nancy, who was hired from Columbus Crew in December, has presided over six defeats in eight games.

Whenever this ends – with the answer surely “imminently” – Celtic’s supporters will not be the only ones to look back with outright bemusement. Wilfried Nancy’s appointment as the manager of a team who were serious operators in the Champions League a matter of months earlier will go down as one of the most bamboozling episodes in the history of Scottish football.

Nancy used his Friday press conference to plead for time and context. He railed against the media, who presumably continue to err by highlighting his woeful record. By Saturday afternoon, he was wandering down the tunnel as a beaten man. Nancy’s position is untenable. He cannot be the only Celtic employee who exits, such is the scale of calamity. The simple solution for Celtic would be to call Martin O’Neill, who presided over seven victories out of eight while in pre-Nancy caretaker charge. The 73-year-old retains capacity to revive Celtic’s fortunes. Crucially, unlike Nancy, O’Neill has the experience and wherewithal to comprehend this unusual football environment.