Neil Lennon has admitted he considered resigning with his team 3-0 down at Kilmarnock only six weeks ago.
Celtic rallied to claim a 3-3 draw at Rugby Park but Lennon conceded that his job was in jeopardy. "When you are 3-0 down at Kilmarnock, you think do you hand your resignation in after the game if it goes to four or five?" Lennon said. "It [such a result] would have been totally unacceptable for someone like myself even though I've never been under any pressure from upstairs.
"We started that game OK, missed a sitter and then conceded three soft goals. I was starting to worry, 'is this a reflection of me? Is this my team here?'"
Celtic have since reduced Rangers' advantage in the Scottish Premier League, which stands at only four points heading into this weekend's fixtures. Dunfermline visit Ibrox on Saturday, with Celtic at Dundee United a day later.
"I didn't think we were in such a bad position anyway that the sack was looming," Lennon added. "I thought there was plenty of time and we just needed to get some consistency in and claw our way back into it.
"I remember being seven ahead of Rangers in January in Gordon Strachan's last year here and they won it on the last day of the season. It is far too early to be talking about clear winners and losers."
Lennon said he has been pleased with his own recent recovery, as well as that of his team. That, he insists, should banish any lingering doubts about his managerial ability.
"That's the challenge – when you come out the other side of it you can look back on that period and think, 'you know what, you did all right there and you can do it again.'" Celtic's manager added.
"I wouldn't have got the job if I was just a rabble-rouser who shouted at people in the dressing room and put Irish music on."
Lennon has also defended his midfielder Beram Kayal, who triggered headlines this week by claiming Celtic were superior to Rangers last season, despite the championship trophy ending up at Ibrox.
"I don't think he meant it to come across that way," Lennon said. "He believes we have a good team and good players, but we need to prove it on the pitch."
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