| Product: |
Football in General |
| Date: |
12/08/01 (204 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: hmmm...to their fans maybe, ....and to their directors..., ....and Mr Murdoch
Disadvantages: many, how would they join?
There's recently been a lot of talk about the Old Firm rivals, Celtic and Rangers, leaving the SPL and joining our Premier League. Well, it aint called the "Premier" league for nothing. Sorry Glasweigans, but I don't think it's a good idea.
Firstly, there is the obvious fact that these two teams are Scottish, and therefore they play in the Scottish league, not the English league. I know we form Great Britain or whatever, but you wouldn't get Bayern Munich moving to the Italian League by claiming that there's no competition for them at home. Why should we be any different?
Then there is the hassle of it all. How would Rangers and Celtic join the Premier League? Would they just join at the end of the seaason, adding to the teams who had just been promoted from Division One? That would a contradiction, seeing as in the last few years we have cut down on the number of teams in the Premiership, only to add an extra two. Would only the champions of Division One be promoted with Rangers and Celtic, so that there would still be 20 teams, or would Rangers and Celic have to go into a play-off match with the 2nd and 3rd placed Division One teams? That would cause an uproar. Two teams being denied their chance to play where they have deserved, and I don't mean Rangers and Celtic.
Probably the main question on most peoples' minds is how Rangers and Celtic would cope in the more taxing environment of the English Premier League. No-one can doubt the fact that the Scottish League is quite easy, maybe very easy for them, but it would be different down here. Rangers and Celtic both have excellent teams, but I personally couldn't see them above mid-table. Their players would have to adjust to the more skillful, faster, and more technical league, and that could take time. Both teams have not had a decent campain in Europe for quite a while now, compare to the exploits of Liverpool and Man Utd, neve
r mind Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal. Meanwhile, their fans would be getting annoyed at their lack of honours, after almost guaranteed sucess in Scotland, and would yearn to be back where they were.
I know that in comparison to other countries, we're tiny, but most fans would grumble about the away games in Scotland. If you're a Newcastle fan then it's not so bad, but if you support Southampton or a London team...
I doubt that fans of English teams would gain much from Rangers and Celtic joining us. The main winners would probably be the fat-cats in the boardrooms, having been given ten times the amount of TV money that they were given in Scotland. This could be used to strengthen their teams I hear you say? Yes, but then almost every other Premiership team would strenghten their team with the Tv money they were given.
I see no way that Scotland's premier teams can be welcomed into our league in a way which pleases everybody; their fans, fans of Premier league teams, and fans of Division One teams. Of course though, we won't have a say in this. The ones who will have the say are the media moguls. Murdoch would love another money-making local derby on his hands.
So, other people are entitled to their own opinions, but I stick to mine. The Old Firm should stick with their own ways, and that means staying put.
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