There are intense rumblings about the future of current Rangers manager Michael Beale after the club failed to offer him a happy birthday for his 43rd on Monday, despite offering one to other ex-managers and many ex-players.

The manager, who is under severe pressure now, looks to be a dead man walking after his £16M failed experiment at Ibrox cost the side a place in the Champions League and a good result against Celtic at home, and the club opted against offering him many happy returns despite being a prominent club figure.

There is an argument to be made that the club decided a birthday wish to Beale after Sunday would have been tone deaf and a very bad idea, with the obvious response it would get given the rather vile reaction Ben Davies’ birthday tweet received, but it just raises more questions.

Ibrox Noise will have a further entry on Beale’s future later today, but for now, it’s very telling the board ordered against a birthday wish for the manager, which tells exactly what the climate right now is.

It’s sad, we never thought Beale a bad guy, but he absolutely and deeply underestimated the job at Rangers, and overestimated his own ability. He was prone to too many porkies and talking rubbish, and while you shouldn’t judge a manager on what they say in pressers, if the results don’t deliver, those comments will be held against them.

But it was the lack of club endorsement of his big day that is about the largest death knell on his Rangers job.

We cannot see any way back for him now.