It is an argument which has raged on and on in the past decade and beyond, but last nights stuttering 0-0 draw at home to Aalborg can conclude only one thing: Celtic must DUMP the Scottish Premier League.
Celtic are a global club with a fanbase to rival that of giants Manchester United and Real Madrid, but their affiliation to their domestic league has only acted as a hinderance to their growth off the field, and their progress on it. The SPL doesn't offer the week-in-week-out competitiveness that the likes of Arsenal, Benfica and even Aalborg are accustomed to. Sure, the 50,000 who turn up without fail are happy to see the Bhoy's trounce Falkirk 3-0, but it's when Aberdeen becomes AC Milan, Inverness becomes Inter and Motherwell becomes Man Utd that the head, not the hoops, starts to spin.
It has been just over 40 years since the Lisbon Lions roared to a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in their greatest ever night. Since then the nearest they have come to european glory was the 3-2 UEFA Cup final defeat to Jose Mourinho's Porto in 2003.
I don't want to cascade the SPL too much. It has improved, but with all attentions, money and resources south of the border, it will always remain a substandard league not conducive to supporting Celtic's European ambitions. Many players have snubbed Celtic and Rangers because they do not feel the SPL is worthy and that their talent should be showcased on a much bigger stage.
The solution? ...to jump ship and join the football league.
The FA blocked such a move for the two Old Firm clubs to join the then First Division (The Championship) back in 2002. The FA's rules dictate that only English and Welsh clubs can take part in the Premiership and the Football League, which are run on a pyramid structure that cannot be circumvented. UEFA said they would only consider such a move by Celtic and Rangers if the national associations agreed to it, killing off the proposal.
Six years later and a lot of water has gone under the bridge. The recent proposal by Premier League chief Richard Scudamore for a 39th game overseas shows a willingness for expansion (as well as to advertise the brand in developing markets and raise £5million per game). But instead of taking the league half way round the world for a quick buck, why not look a little closer to home for expansion. Take the game to Glasgow and in years to come the Lisbon Lions might just roar again.
5 comments:
An interesting argument.
If they are to join English Football, they should start at the very bottom. Just gifting them a place in the Championship is wrong and harsh to so many other clubs. And this would mean years in leagues that are no greater in quality to the SPL, and no European football.
I think Scottish football is in a good place at the moment as well. The domestic league is producing its fair share of young talent, and with Setanta on board, coverage has never been better.
Overall, Rangers and Celtic need the Premiership a lot more than the Premiership needs them.
no thanks...
the scottish league is good as it is and if celtic and rangers want to expand they should do an mk dons and moe into england, then they can start from the bottom of the pyramid and work their way up, as shaun says
also if they do come in and go into league 1 or championship they are taking the place of an english club, which for me is not on...
i dont mind having cardiff, swansea and wrexham in our leagues but celtic and rangers? no thanks...
the move of both celtic and rangers south of the border is an interesting idea and would improve the fortunes of the two clubs both financially and on the European front.
in terms of the quality the scottish league that the would leave behind we would of course see the first different winner of the title since aberdeen in 1982 but these teams would surely decline themselves because of the loss of money lossing the big two.
think about the fans as well, travelling to plymouth argyle for an away match even going to Wolves or `leicester could be a huge trip, would it really be putting them first?? i don't think it would
it sounds a good idea in theory but if u look at the grand scheme of things there r more pros than cons
Celtic fans will travel anywhere. They took about 3000 to St.Mary's for pre-season friendly. I think there fans wouldn't mind as it would be a fresh venture against better teams in better stadiums. I don't want to see them fast tracked to the Premier League by any means, and I agree with Shaun that if they are to leave the SPL they would have to start from League 2, but not at the expense of any other teams.
The fact that the SLP has a 'top two' and the premier having a 'top four'do not sway far from each other.
We shall we entertain these clubs and why should they instantly deserve a place in the championship????
If they want to join they should start at the very bottom like all your welsh clubs did.
France's Lyon has the last seven championships, shallwe let them play in in Germany, whose at the moment seems to be the most competitive league well at the top end anyway.
This is why we have the champions league and the UFEA cupetc.
Anyways interesting ready maty boi.
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