Time to reunite Celtic and Rangers for the sake of Scottish football

[ian1964 10,625]

IF administrative policies forbid Rangers and Celtic from moving South of the border, then they quicker the two clubs are reunited in Scottish leagues, the better for all football supporters.

 

I PLAYED for and helped manage Celtic â?? but I reckon Rangers have been punished enough and itâ??s time to do whatever we can to reunite the big two for the sake of our game.

 

We need the best teams in the best league and if thatâ??s not going to happen itâ??s only fair we let the two of them go and play in England if internal politics ever allow it.

 

SFA president Campbell Ogilvie says his governing body would not stand in their way if UEFAâ??s softening attitude towards cross-border movement continues.

 

And no fan of any other club should raise any objection at the same time.

 

Theyâ??re always telling us the SPL would be much more competitive if other clubs thought they had a chance of winning the championship and breaking a Glasgow monopoly thatâ??s gone on for over a quarter of a century.

 

If there was a countrywide vote on the subject the majority would say let Celtic and Rangers go elsewhere.

 

But if that canâ??t happen for administrative reasons the sooner they get back to playing each other and heightening the competitive atmosphere, the better it will be for all of us.

 

Celtic have no meaningful challenge to them in the SPL as it stands, which canâ??t go on indefinitely without doing more harm to attendance figures.

 

And Rangers are so far out of sight in the Third Division itâ??s becoming a joke.

 

But now theyâ??re getting used by other clubs who are making money off them and could soon vote to keep them exactly where they are because itâ??s better for business.

 

There is no one in the game trying to make Rangers a force again and I can understand why theyâ??re feeling tender about that state of affairs. There are too many people concerned with making money out of Rangers to appreciate theyâ??ve been punished enough.

 

The club have been banished to the Third Division and slapped with a transfer embargo. Enough is enough.

 

What about the general state of the game?

 

Iâ??m not in favour of the 12-12-18 proposals put forward by the gameâ??s custodians, the SFA, SPL and SFL.

 

I donâ??t like the split in the SPL as it operates now so Iâ??ve no time for two leagues of 12 that become three leagues of eight after 22 games.

 

When fans buy season tickets they should know how many games are played in a championship and who theyâ??ll be against.

 

You canâ??t come up with an entirely new league system in the middle of a championship, leaving it immediately rendered meaningless. Itâ??s morally indefensible.

 

Significant change is being rushed through and I have to ask: Why?

 

There were unanswered questions about the pyramid system and play-offs when Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster and David Longmuir met the media at Hampden last Tuesday. How can that be?

 

I accept that unless we improve our product at the highest level, television will start to lose interest in the Scottish game.

 

And if that happens, and thereâ??s a reduction in coverage, then club sponsorships and advertising will start to be seriously affected.

 

The standard of player brought here will drop a couple of notches and others will want out to get a better standard of living down south.

 

If our gameâ??s rulers donâ??t come up with a system that entices Rangers to stop talking about leaving this country our game will suffer.

 

But if the will of the people is that the big two should cross the border then it doesnâ??t necessarily mean the death of Scottish football, in spite of what Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said at the weekend.

 

The fans of other clubs are always saying they could handle that situation so they should be given the chance to show they are as good as their word by turning out to support their team.

 

Celtic and Rangers supporters, meanwhile, would turn out to watch their clubs play in any division down south.

 

But they would have to get used to the culture shock of initially being also-rans who donâ??t win trophies and canâ??t challenge for titles until theyâ??ve bedded in and acquired a better standard of players.

 

This will be an easier job for Celtic than their rivals because Neil Lennonâ??s got a much better squad than Ally McCoist at the moment.

 

But both of them would at least have a light that is the English Premier League at the end of the tunnel.

 

And wouldnâ??t there be clubs there whoâ??d love to play in front of 50,000 people at Ibrox and 60,000 inside Celtic Park every other week.

 

The Old Firm fans would gladly pay even more money for their season tickets if it meant getting a stronger side for a better league and being able to feast on the best the game had to offer.

 

When I was playing for Celtic and Davie Hay was manager he once famously said we should go to England because the club wasnâ??t getting a fair shake from the gameâ??s authorities.

 

Rangers are in that position now and, unless thereâ??s common sense shown sooner rather than later, it will be fairer to let both of them go.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/time-to-reunite-celtic-and-rangers-for-the-sake-1533018

[kuznetsov 0]

that 50000 at ibrox and 60000 at celtic thing pisses me off!

[craig 5,199]

"Celtic and Rangers supporters, meanwhile, would turn out to watch their clubs play in any division down south."

 

Aye, right you are. Celtic supporters cant even turn out in the top league in their own country. We, on the other hand.....

[der Berliner 3,564]

Point is that should either team of the "OF" play in the Championship and/or the EPL, the stadium would more often than not be sell-outs.

[kuznetsov 0]

that attitude really annoys me. we have no divine right to walk into any of those leagues down south. if it could happen it should be into the very lowest league in their pyramid system.

[craig 5,199]

that attitude really annoys me. we have no divine right to walk into any of those leagues down south. if it could happen it should be into the very lowest league in their pyramid system.

 

You make a very good point here kuznetsov....

 

In the interests of "sporting integrity"... would we and Celtic actually accept having to start at the bottom of the English leagues ? Because that would be TRUE sporting integrity. I know we have already done it in Scotland but I have major doubts that we would do it down south. And there is NO WAY the Tims would accept dropping to the lowest tier in England, at least not without kicking, screaming, scheming and lying their way into the EPL first.

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

When I was playing for Celtic and Davie Hay was manager he once famously said we should go to England because the club wasnâ??t getting a fair shake from the gameâ??s authorities.

 

Rangers are in that position now and, unless thereâ??s common sense shown sooner rather than later, it will be fairer to let both of them go.

 

Aye but Murdo, Davie Hay was just doing the Celtic thing. ie. being pathetic and paranoid and had zero evidence to justify his stupid rant about bad decisions whereas we have been openly shafted by all and sundry... A wee bit of a difference

[der Berliner 3,564]

Before any "desertion" down south, I reckon that there will be some sort of "semi-international" prestige league for midweek et al, like a "British League/Challenge Cup" (sponsored by Sky) or that "Atlantic League". Much easier to manage and a much faster way to "make money" for all interested parties.

[calscot 0]

There would be no need to go down to the 10th tier of English football. I can't imagine much protesting to parachute them into the Conference as they are top professional teams and the lower leagues are semi-professional and amateur.

 

The point of promotion and relegation is to get teams to the right level. Why hinder clubs by putting them well below their level?

 

I would argue that our point of entry should be League two although it does mean that two team lose their place which is the bit that is unfair. Whereas the Conference North could expand from 22 to 24 teams to absorb us.

 

Not only that, they have joining criteria which knocks back potential promotees from the lower tier.

[der Berliner 3,564]

10th tier? That's the reagion where they play football like this, yes?