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To feel the heat is a given for any Old Firm manager, and Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy is experiencing a cauldron of emotions as derby day arrives.<\/b><\/p>\n
Just over four weeks since Nancy was announced as the permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers, he has lost five of his seven matches in charge.<\/p>\n
Consequently, Nancy is under enormous pressure before Saturday’s match against Rangers, not least from his own club’s supporters.<\/p>\n
After defeats by Hearts and Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership, Roma in the Europa League and St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final, back-to-back league wins against Aberdeen and Livingston appeared to have steadied the ship.<\/p>\n
However, Celtic were then outplayed and outfought on Tuesday as Motherwell swept to a fully deserved 2-0 win, and anger from Fir Park’s away end was apparent throughout.<\/p>\n
Celtic are three points behind leaders Hearts, while Rangers would join Nancy’s side on 38 points with a win at Parkhead.<\/p>\n
In a remarkable media conference before his first big derby, Nancy launched into a passionate defence of himself and his team.<\/p>\n
He delivered an extraordinary response to talk about his methods, including one answer that lasted seven minutes, as the game itself played second fiddle to the Frenchman and his job security.<\/p>\n
“I know your job is to attack me, or to ask a lot of questions, no problem with that,” Nancy said. “My job is to be a coach, your job is to ask questions.<\/p>\n
“If you want to judge me now, you can do it. I didn’t have the results we wanted – it’s a fact, I cannot deny that.”<\/p>\n
He appealed for patience, but immediately accepted this is a job where the high stakes mean patience is in short supply.<\/p>\n
“This is only the beginning. Usually, we have four or five weeks of pre-season. I didn’t have that,” Nancy said.<\/p>\n
“The reality is, before I came, I knew if I didn’t win games, I was going to be in trouble. This is part of the job. I’m pleased to be here and I know where we are now.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n