Jan 3 (Reuters) - Furious Celtic supporters gathered outside Celtic Park on Saturday demanding heads roll after their team's painful 3-1 defeat by Rangers left the champions level on points with their bitter rivals.
What started as hope turned to heartbreak for the home crowd as Celtic squandered Yang Hyun-Jun's first-half opener, watching Rangers roar back with goals from Youssef Chermiti's brace and Mikey Moore to complete a stunning turnaround.
The result moved Rangers level with second-placed Celtic on 38 points and an identical goal difference as both Old Firm rivals chase league leaders Hearts -- a scenario that would have been unthinkable for fans accustomed to recent dominance.
The mood inside Celtic Park shifted dramatically after the break, with supporters who had backed their team in the first half turning hostile as Rangers mounted their comeback.
Several fans headed for the exits early, while others directed their anger at manager Wilfried Nancy and the club's board. Police were also stationed near the Celtic dugout as chants for Nancy's dismissal rang out.
The under-fire manager, who replaced interim boss Martin O'Neill last month, has managed just two victories in eight games across all competitions while they have yet to keep a clean sheet under the Frenchman.
'WE CAN TURN THINGS AROUND'
But Nancy, who asked for time to work with the squad in an extraordinary rant on Friday, said he had the board's support and was confident he could turn things around.
"This is not about myself, this is about disappointing the fans because I know the meaning of this game," Nancy told BBC Scotland.
"They pushed us in a good way in the first half, they were behind us. But when we conceded goals, we wanted to push again. I can understand the disappointment, but I also saw what we're able to do. It's totally normal that they're disappointed.
"This is reality, but we have to stay together. We are really close, there are many things that can turn around. If it was not the case, I would not talk like this... I really believe we can turn things around."
Celtic have won the last four Scottish Premiership titles but fans have been unhappy with their lack of progress in Europe, staging protests throughout the season against what they see as the board's lack of investment in the transfer market.
Brendan Rodgers, who led Celtic to four league titles across two stints, quit as coach in October after a poor run while in November shareholders halted an Annual General Meeting with boos, red cards and chants of "sack the board".
Peter Lawwell also stepped down as club chairman last month blaming increasing abuse and threats which had become 'intolerable'.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
