Ralston's defiant Celtic message ahead of Rangers clash

The 27-year-old did his best to convince himself as well as the Celtic supporters that the flames aren't starting to engulf manager Wilfried Nancy.

Ralston insisted that Celtic’s “togetherness” remains unbroken despite the champions’ latest damaging setback at Fir Park as Nancy's men succumbed to an insipid 2-0 defeat on Tuesday night.

The Scottish champion's performance against Jens Berthel Askou's men was lamentable and inexcusable.

Whilst Ralston admitted the current run of results is unacceptable, he stressed that belief inside the dressing room has not wavered despite the ongoing tactical adjustment under the Frenchman.

Motherwell inflicted Nancy's fifth loss in his opening seven matches as Celtic head coach.

Pressed on why performances continue to fall short despite repeated insistence that standards will not be allowed to slip, Ralston pointed to unity within a squad that has undergone significant change in a short space of time.

Ralston said. “Yeah, it's been difficult. Obviously, as an individual and a group of players, it’s not something you’re willing to accept.

“We’re in a period now where we’ve got a game every three days. We know the game we’ve got at the weekend, so we’ll take the time to analyse it. We’ll take the time to see where we can improve in this particular game, especially the way Motherwell play, when we face that again, either against them or a different opposition. Then we need to get ourselves ready for a massive game this weekend.

"Togetherness. We’ve got the togetherness as a team. We’ve had a lot of changes as a group of players, staff included, all within a season, in the middle of a very busy period.

"We, as a team, have got immense talent, we’ve got immense experience, and above all else, our togetherness.

“That’s never going to fade, that’s never going to go away. That’s what we feel as a group, every day in training and in games.

“The results haven’t fallen for us, we take onus on that, but it does need to turn around.”

There seemed to be little evidence of that togetherness in Lanarkshire as Motherwell tore Celtic apart at will.

It was the ease with which the Steelmen achieved their victory that should be a cause for grave concern for the men in green and white, especially Nancy.

With doubts growing externally over whether Celtic can persist with the same approach against Rangers, who lie in wait at Parkhead this weekend, Ralston reiterated his confidence in both the squad and the overall direction in which the team was heading under the 48-year-old.

However, the right-back rejected the suggestion that system changes offered any excuse or an easy get-out.

Ralston said: “The togetherness that we have as a group isn’t going to change come the weekend. The talent we have in the changing room isn’t going to change come the weekend.

“We’ve shown against Aberdeen and the Livingston game as well as in periods during other games that we are playing good football, and we’re creating chances.

“We need to stop conceding goals, we know that. Whether that’s down to a change of shape or whatever, we need to sort that out, but in terms of an overall aspect of the game, there are positives to take away.

"There’s not an acceptance of losing games, especially at a club like Celtic. So that needs to change. It needs to change quickly.

"As a footballer at any club, especially at the highest level, you need to adapt to a change of system. Whether that’s personnel, system, whatever it may be, you need to adapt to that.

“So you can’t put the reasons down to a change of system or give excuses for that. At the top level, you need to be able to adapt as players, as a team and as a unit, both defensively and offensively.

“So no, I don’t use that as an excuse. Don’t get me wrong, it comes with its challenges. You need to adapt. Like I’m saying, it doesn’t happen overnight. We don’t have the normal time you maybe would have had in pre-season.

"That’s football. Changes happen, and you need to adapt.”

With pressure now mounting on the manager to arrest the slide, Ralston once again retreated into the fact that unity would be the key for Celtic moving forward.

He said: “It’s not for me to sit here and say I have all the answers. What I can say is that the togetherness as a unit and as a team, we do have.

"I think that’s the most important thing, especially in a period like this, that you do have that, that you don’t become disjointed as teammates or within the club or anything like that.

“So that’s going to stand us in good stead to then try and keep implementing what we’re getting taught and told to do. That’s important, that we stick to that, because that’s what you need to do as a professional, and that’s what we’ll continue to try and do.”

Amazingly, if results do not go their way this weekend, Celtic could find themselves third in the Scottish Premiership table as their city rivals have the chance to move level with them on points.

Ralston acknowledged the dangers that Celtic will face in the crucial derby fixture but insisted the squad understands exactly what will be required.

As one of the more senior pros on the side, Ralston has been there, seen it and done it all before.

Come Saturday, Ralston reckons that nobody will need to question Celtic's bottle for the battle.

Although the Scotland international was coy when it came to admitting if it was one of the more testing times of his Celtic career.

He said: "It will be no different to how we would approach any game. We understand the magnitude of the game.

"We have experienced players in the dressing room who know what the game’s all about. We’ll be ready. First of all, we need to show the fight, and I feel that the fight has been there. We’ve been showing grit when we’ve had to show grit.

“When we have the chances, we need to take our chances, but overall, as a collective unit, both offensively and defensively, we need to tidy up on a few things.

"Come the weekend, it’s a game that we’re all very familiar with, especially the experienced lads, and we’ll be more than ready to take that on.

“You have ups and downs in your career all the time. Individually, if you go through the whole dressing room, I’m sure they’ll have different points in time.

“I’m not really too sure, but it’s my job, along with the rest of the boys, to keep the spirit as high as possible, to show that togetherness that I’ve mentioned a few times and to go into the weekend getting ready to fight.”

However, Ralston confirmed the Celtic players remain committed to the process and confident that it can deliver.

He unequivocally shared the manager’s confidence that results will improve.

Ralston said, “Yeah, all the boys are trying. Every day, we get a chance on the training pitch to implement it and practice it. These things do take time

"Within games, that’s also a time that we’re trying to implement the style of play that the gaffer’s asking us to do. The games are every three days. That is difficult, and we’re all aware of that.

"There are no excuses in football, especially at the top level, especially at a club like Celtic. You need to be able to adapt. It’s about trying to make it work as quickly as possible because we know the type of game we’ve got at the weekend.

"We’ll all be ready for it. Yes. It’s our job to create the most positive atmosphere we can. We understand the difficulties. There are no excuses in football.

"Especially at a club like Celtic. You win, and you bring success, and there’s no other way around it.”

A Rangers victory this weekend would see the temperature rise significantly. Ralston, Nancy, and Celtic can ill afford to crash and burn.