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.
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.
Consequently, Nancy is under enormous pressure before Saturday’s match against Rangers, not least from his own club’s supporters.
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.
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.
Celtic are three points behind leaders Hearts, while Rangers would join Nancy’s side on 38 points with a win at Parkhead.
In a remarkable media conference before his first big derby, Nancy launched into a passionate defence of himself and his team.
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.
“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.
“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.”
He appealed for patience, but immediately accepted this is a job where the high stakes mean patience is in short supply.
“This is only the beginning. Usually, we have four or five weeks of pre-season. I didn’t have that,” Nancy said.
“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.”
