Why Celtic and Rangers should stay in the SPL
The recent debate over whether or not Welsh FA members Cardiff City should be allowed to compete in the UEFA Cup should they win the (English) FA Cup should have at least the one positive side-effect. On and off for several years the debate has raged on as to whether or not Rangers and Celtic should be allowed to play in the English leagues. Each time the question always seems to be placed back on the shelf only to be revisited a year or so later.
But would the removal of the possibility of European football should they join the English leagues put an end to this tiresome saga? Over the years the argument has been that the Old Firm cannot compete in Europe because of the lack of money generated in the Scottish Premier League compared to its English counterpart. If Rangers and Celtic were to play in England however, they too along with Cardiff would surely only have associate memberships with the FA.
If this is the case, then even if the Old Firm were to battle their way in the Premier League and finish in the top 5, or indeed win either cup competition, they also wouldn’t be permitted to enter European competition under the banner of a ‘guest club’, and therefore the entire basis of their argument falls apart.
Forgetting the question on whereabouts both sides would enter the English league pyramid, would the mere lack of European incentive kill the argument entirely? Given the choice between possible Premier League football in England and practically guaranteed European football in Scotland, for which would the Old Firm opt? In financial terms, it simply wouldn’t make sense to go for the former. Even if they were allowed to enter the English leagues, they would never be allowed to enter the Premier League straight away. This would mean several years in leagues no stronger than the SPL, with no prospect of European football.
Some, if not all fans, would be turned off by the prospect of traveling to England for every away game, and with no more enticing Champions League or UEFA Cup action, the money would slowly dry up as the fans decrease in numbers. Both sides’ successes in these competitions have, after all, provided both increased revenue and some memorable nights for the fans over the past few years.
Detractors of the Scottish Premier League and of Scottish football in general tend to forget that the league is considered the tenth best in Europe, and has the 19th highest average attendance of any outdoor sporting league in the world (and the 12th highest of any association football league). Whilst Rangers and Celtic account for almost all of this success, the quality of football on offer in the league is ever-increasing, television coverage is at an all-time best thanks to Setanta Sports, whilst it is arguable that the gap between the Old Firm and the rest is decreasing, if very slowly.
The best way forward for both sides seems to be to remain in Scotland. Whilst Celtic boasts a massive Irish following they are still a Scottish club with deeply embedded routes in the Glaswegian community, as with Rangers. There doesn’t appear to be any compelling argument allowing either or both sides to compete in the English leagues, and with the recent Cardiff City debacle, hopefully this will hammer home the final nail in the coffin of any plans for them to do so.
A peek at the history of the Celtic – Rangers rivalry.
Topics: Celtic, English Premier League, Help Football, Rangers, Scottish Premier League
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ONCE AGAIN ENGLISH GET CARRIED AWAY THINKING EVERYONE WANTS TO BE PART OF THEM,. IT IS A EURO LEAGUE OF SOME SORT THAT THE MAJORITY OF SUPPORTERS ARE LOOKING FOR, THE SCOTTISH LEAGUE IS NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR CELTIC, WE ARE PLAYING TEAMS WHO DO NOT HAVE FAN BASES THAT WOULD QUALIFY FOR THE ENGLISH CONFERENCE AND THEY ARE FINISHING THIRD IN SCOTLAND, THIS IS ABSURD, WE NEED AWAY FROM NATIONALISTIC IDEAS OF FOOTBALL, I THINK IT IS COMING AS THE SAME HAPPENS IN PORTUGAL, SWEDEN, HOLLAND, BELGIUM
April 11th, 2008 @ 08:34Er, I’m not actually English. I’m Scottish. And in actual fact it’s not my thinking that Rangers and Celtic want to join the Premier League, it’s been mooted practically every year for the past five.
John Reid (new Celtic chairman) even mentioned in a radio interview last month that he still sees joining the Premier League as being one of the ultimate goals of Celtic.
As for Euro leagues…no. Bad idea. Terrible in fact.
April 14th, 2008 @ 17:28I think the only way the two Sottish giants could go into the Premier League would be through expanding the Prem to 22 clubs, and there is no way UEFA would allow that. They’ve been try8ng to get a reduction to 18 or 16 clubs as it is.
And it wouldn’t be fair on two clubs from the Championship to have to forgo promotion simply to accommodate two clubs who only want to be there for the extra cash.
One other point, and II am not being arrogant here, but would both clubs be able to compete in the Prem? I can’t see either team cracking the top 4, certainly not straight away, and I think they would both struggle to get into the top 10, if only because the English teams have such a massive advantage over them.
May 16th, 2008 @ 12:36And, also, Alan, I agree with you about Euro leagues. Terrible idea.
Imagine the scenario; Celtic V Sporting Lisbon on a cold February night; Both teams mid-table, nothing to play for. Not even any relegation issues. After 3 or 4 years of this? Attendances about 8,000 and TV not interested.
May 16th, 2008 @ 12:39so narrow minded!rangers and celtic would both be top 4 clubs, altough it may take a few years. The fan bases and size of the clubs would draw in any players IF they were playing in the premier league. As for the away support, if you were to watch some of the SPL i am sure you would notice the large away support both clubs have. I only have to mention MANCHESTER 08, around 200,000 fans there? How many english clubs could achieve that? Man United, and thats it. Finishing bottom in the premier league still generates the club around 35 million, rangers and celtic get around 10 million for qualifing for the champions league. The money they would generate in the premier league is the only difference to bridge the gap in current quality on the teams. Even asking this question is stupid, of course they would break into the top 4.
June 20th, 2009 @ 23:18id would say it will have to happen soon enough as there are already a few scottish premier league clubs on the brink of administration already and because of less tv money coming in more could join them and as there are only 12 teams in the league the spl could become to small to continue
if this happened fifa and uefa would probably put pressure on the fa and epl to allow celtic rangers and possibly the remaining spl clubs to join the english leagues
there is also an idea that celtic and rangers sould pay 100mil to join the epl which i dont agree with
August 18th, 2009 @ 22:06Celtic and Rangers are clearly too big for the SPL but wether or not the european league is the right move for them is a diiferent matter. The Old Firm, if they go to the prem, will be competing with the Aston Villas, Evertons and the totenhams because they will appear a more attractive club to move to for bigger players. Paddy McCourt HAIL! HAIL!
October 23rd, 2009 @ 11:39dont want them scottish scum coming down to my country week in week out.give us english independence,and get the scots,welsh,irish traveller scum out of england.let their respective countries pay their income support and all the other benefits they live on the lazy sponging scum.ENGLAND FOREVER BRITAIN NEVER.
March 24th, 2010 @ 11:15Good article.
As a Rangers fan, my priority would be to develop Scottish Football. There is potential there, some of the games this season are more exicting than down-south.
I would hate to see Rangers in the EPL, I am proud of our history and heritage, something that isn’t matched by any side in England. The potential ownership from a middle-eastern billionaire is not what I want.
However, I would like to see a British League Cup instead of the Carling and Scottish League Cup. I think that would help restore some interest in that competition, create some exciting ties both north and south of the border and be much-more worthwhile.
A European League is tempting. Very tempting indeed. If it happened, I would like to see all the clubs given the chance to qualify, not just the Old Firm.
March 26th, 2010 @ 20:27