As a fan of English football the question of whether the old firm pairing of Rangers and Celtic should be allowed to enter the Premier League is becoming tedious. It's a debate that has been raging for as long as I can remember and, occasional lip service from pundits and officials aside, nobody seems to be adding anything new to the issue. I'd like to clear things up once and for all (and, yes, I'd like to think my opinion does carry that much weight)... Rangers and Celtic are based in Glasgow. Glasgow, Scotland, not Glasgow, England. There isn't even a Glasgow, England, as far as I'm aware. If that isn't a good enough reason not to allow them entry into the English Premier League then I really don't know what is.
Yes, I can hear you all now screaming at your computer screens, 'But what about Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham?', as if Newport County, Merthyr Tydfil and Colwyn Bay never existed. Well, Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham and Newport all joined the English system in early 1920's when, as I'm sure you can imagine, things were a bit different - there was certainly no Setanta in those days - and Merthyr Tydfil and Colwyn Bay both paid their dues in the lowest of the lowest Welsh divisions before being allowed in the lowest of the lowest English divisions. Are Celtic and Rangers willing to spend a few years playing against the likes of Bamber Bridge, Otten Albion and Leigh Genesis (I believe Phil Collins is a fan... titter) in order to gain passage into the upper echelons of English football? I highly doubt it.
Let's for arguments sake say that the two Glaswegian outfits are allowed to jump ship for the more profitable and entertaining English Premier League... who misses out? Does the Premier League, as has been suggested on numerous occasions recently, become a two tier system? If so, who loses their Premier League priviliges? As it stands now, that might include Bolton, West Ham, Fulham and Everton... I'm sure there fans would be happy. Or do we simply incorporate Glasgow's finest at the expense of two of the Championship promotion places? West Brom, Newcastle and Middlesboro might miss out and the Championship would be cheapened, possibly beyond repair, but what the hell, Celtic and Rangers bring with them vast followings and untold riches.
The extra exposure up North and the cold hard cash that would follow is the one thing that might turn the FA's head. We all know they're a sucker for a shiny pound coin and if they think that the Glasgow teams can add something substantial to their coffers, then maybe, just maybe, things might get passed the procrastination stage. However, the English Premier League is already a sporting giant in a stratosphere of its very own. It is affluent, glamorous, exciting and the envy of nations around the globe. My point is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I'm a fair man though. I'm willing to admit that there are a hundred reasons for these two proud Scottish clubs entry in the Premier League. The catch is that all of them seem to favour the clubs rather than the league. Celtic and Rangers, tired of deciding the league during four annual old firm derbies, would relish the challenge. They would want to test their mettle against some of Europe's finest on a weekly basis and they would enjoy any success that affirms their tireless groans that the Scottish League isn't/wasn't the Peter Andre of European football.
From an English Premier League fan's point of view, I've got to pose the question, what's in it for me? I'm happy with the way things are right now and whilst people might suggest that Celtic and Rangers have the ability and clout to ruffle the feathers of the Big Four (or Five if you include Man City, or Four if you include City but take out Liverpool, or Seven if you include City, Liverpool, Spurs and Villa... etc.), I would suggest that's utter manure. They can raise there game once in a while during a European campaign, sure, but over the course of a season I would argue that they would both struggle to finish top half of the current table.
And what about the damage to the Scottish league? We might not like the fact that Celtic and Rangers decide the league between themselves, but they do bring much needed revenue to the league. Without them, I can see it descending to the lows of the Welsh and Irish leagues - with all due respect.
ReplyDelete