Ange casts a Celtic return shadow until Brendan Rodgers cracks a light on sticky contract situation

Ange Postecoglou told everyone he always delivers in the second season and was true to his word.

He also promised Tottenham fans the third was going to be a blockbuster – only for his show to get cancelled.

Football isn’t a funny old game these days, it’s a brutal one.

Postecoglou getting the mallet soon after securing the first piece of silverware at Tottenham in 17 years just about sums it up.

There's gratitude for you. An open top bus and then launched under it.

The big Aussie might be better off out of there anyway and you’d think it won’t be long before his phone rings again with some club chairman or owner somewhere fancying an adventure.

And you just know there will be a fair few folk in these parts who will be hoping the call comes from the east end of Glasgow.

It didn’t take long for Celtic fans to join some of the dots. Brendan Rodgers is going into the final year of his contract and there’s a suspicion the Irishman will decide the three year second stint is plenty.

Hoops fans would be more than happy to let Ange lie on the beach for a year enjoying his Spurs pay-off before welcoming him back to Parkhead.

It all sounds so seamless – but in reality even the suggestion would create instability.

The longer Postecoglou sits out of work, the bigger shadow he’d cast over Parkhead. And this is the problem with Rodgers keeping his cards close to his chest too.

The longer he stays silent on his future, the more folk will be second guessing.

The second there’s a goalless draw at Easter Road or, worse, a loss to Rangers, a section of the support will jerk the knees and jump on it and be talking about getting big Ange back sharpish.

The whole managerial issue was always going to be a total distraction this coming season