LUKE MCCOWAN asked, “When has it ever been this bad?” as he surveyed the wreckage of Celtic’s 3-1 defeat by Rangers, which piled further pressure on Wilfried Nancy.

The Hoops took the lead at Parkhead on Saturday through Yang Hyun-jun in the 20th minute but in a remarkable second-half turnaround, the Light Blues’ much-maligned £8million (€9million) striker Youssef Chermiti scored twice in nine minutes to put Danny Rohl’s side in charge.

Teenage Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore fired in a third in the 71st minute to send some Celtic fans, who have watched their side win 13 out of the last 14 titles, scurrying for the exits while ‘sack the board’ chants started up again and were carried on outside the main stand after the game.

Beleaguered French boss Nancy has two wins out of eight with 18 goals conceded as Celtic sit six points behind leaders Hearts and above the Light Blues on goal difference alone.

McCowan, the 28-year-old midfielder who is playing for his boyhood club, was asked if it was important that the fans knew the players were hurting just as much.

He said, “It’s hard to tell the fans that. They’re watching it week in, week out.

“As I said, when’s it ever — let’s call a spade a spade — when has it ever been this bad?

“It’s never. You’re asking fans to react to something for the first time they’re seeing it, and us as players for the first time we’re feeling it.

“It’s not nice. I’ll tell you that from a player’s perspective. It doesn’t leave you. It haunts you every minute of every day when you’re not winning.

“Getting home, not speaking to anybody, sitting on the couch, not moving, just doing that black screen instead of having the darts or having the football highlights on.

“But, as I said, that is what it comes with playing with Celtic. You need to take that pressure on. You need to get there.

“You need to show personality, and at times within games, we’ve not done that good enough.

“Within the structure, we’ve not done it good enough. But that’s just the kind of rubbish message just now. We need to stick together and keep going.”

McCowan admits Celtic struggled to cope with Rangers bringing on Mohamed Diomande for Thelo Aasgaard for the start of the second half.

The former Dundee player said: “Rangers changed their shape and we didn’t react well enough to it.

“I felt we dominated the first half. They still had chances, but I felt like we were at it. That second half just wasn’t enough, really.

“I think it’s because teams change shape. We might dominate the ball for the first 45 minutes through the shape that we play. In the second 45 minutes, they might change the structure, or they might do whatever.

“We just aren’t reacting to it as well as we should be. It’s just not good enough.

“I’m probably going to say that at least 20 times in these interviews, but it needs to be better.

“Rangers can’t be coming here and winning 3-1. It’s just not good enough.”