Ange leaving Celtic might benefit Rangers if it happens but that's no vote of confidence for Michael Beale - Hugh Keevins

Rangers are trophyless for the season and have won only a single title in the last 12 years – but they go into the summer break on a high.

Celtic have taken 11 of the last 12 league titles and stand 90 minutes from a world record-breaking eighth Treble. But they are approaching Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final with Inverness in an obvious state of nervous anxiety. The connection between the clubs, and the explanation for the personality change being undergone by the public at large, is the thought of Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou leaving Glasgow for London and taking up the managerial vacancy at Spurs.

For some, this possibility equates with the guarantee of a shift in the balance of power at the top of the Premiership. Mainly those who believe that Rangers manager Michael Beale will be the beneficiary of his Celtic counterpart leaving town. Not so much a vote of confidence in Beale as an admission his prospects of success would be enhanced if Ange would simply go away.

What we need now – and what this story has clearly lacked so far– is clarity. Speculation becomes a growth industry at times like these and takes the place of hard facts being made available for inspection.

Ange could have ended all uncertainty at Friday’s press conference – but he danced around the subject. He acknowledged speculation existed concerning his immediate future without dispelling it once and for all.

This is not to say he was being evasive or knows more than he’s letting on. He might be waiting for a telephone call from an interested party or perhaps the interest in him has been exaggerated.

Either way, he’s not being held hostage at Celtic Park and handcuffed to a radiator in between matches. He’s a free man able to exercise free will if