One of them is in for a nasty surprise. That’s probably the only certainty ahead of Sunday’s Viaplay Cup Final at Hampden Park now that the gloves are about to come off in this burgeoning rivalry between Ange Postecoglou and Michael Beale.
With levels of self confidence and belief soaring on either side of the old divide, finally this phoney war is about to come to an explosive end with real shots being fired. And when it’s all done and dusted, one of these managers is about to emerge from the smoke to find himself in a very different place.
Wishful thinking, you see, can be a dangerous thing. And right now, fans of both of these incompatible neighbours are guilty of indulging in it at the same time. From Celtic’s perspective, there appears to be an unwillingness to acknowledge the improvements that Beale has been busy carrying out on the other side of the fence.
