From what I've seen a hell of a lot of Rangers/Celtic fans want in the Premiership because they're sick of playing sides like Partick Thistle week in week out. They're big fish in a tiny pond and they know it.

The thing is, it would be unfair to other Premiership sides if we just dropped them straight into the Premier League, as they wouldn't have earned it. It's only fair that they should earn their Premiership place, which means starting off at least in Division 1 (still better opposition for them than the SPL).

It is definitely a money thing, that's why the top brass at Rangers and Celtic are desperate for the Premiership.

As for a British team, I don't see what that's got to do with merging the leagues. Teams like Swansea and Cardiff play in the league and Wales still have their own national team.

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Originally posted by evil_bastard From what I've seen a hell of a lot of Rangers/Celtic fans want in the Premiership because they're sick of playing sides like Partick Thistle week in week out. They're big fish in a tiny pond and they know it. The thing is, it would be unfair to other Premiership sides if we just dropped them straight into the Premier League, as they wouldn't have earned it. It's only fair that they should earn their Premiership place, which means starting off at least in Division 1 (still better opposition for them than the SPL). It is definitely a money thing, that's why the top brass at Rangers and Celtic are desperate for the Premiership. As for a British team, I don't see what that's got to do with merging the leagues. Teams like Swansea and Cardiff play in the league and Wales still have their own national team.

you got a point there, tho personally I think cardiff & swansea & wrexham should play in the welsh league, help to strengthen that.

As for where to put them, who knows, most teams have to work up from non-league so why shouldn't there be a change here, As a bolton fan, I'd be pissed if we lost out to them, and maybe a british cup is a way to start, plus the other scottish teams would lose a ton from the 4 games a year vs them, so it's a bit of a hard one to really think about

I can't see Celtic and Rangers having the patience to work their way up from the conference right through the Nationwide and into the Premier League, but I do agree that a Premiership place must definitely be earned.

I can't see it happening any time soon but I wouldn't write it off in the future.

still cant match it with the best Rangers 0 - Arsenal 3 ! thanks , but no thanks !

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Originally posted by S_madis still cant match it with the best Rangers 0 - Arsenal 3 ! thanks , but no thanks !

Friendlies will always be a poor marker for teams strengths. Are you seriously telling me Fulham are worse than all the mince Scottish teams that have beaten them this pre-season?

When we look at competitive matches over the past decade Rangers and Celtic are doing well against the English Premiership teams. Who can forget when Rangers were going to be gubbed by Leeds, English champions, all those years ago because Leeds were the best team in Europe according to the English press. Not only a victory at Ibrox for the Gers but a victory at Elland Road too! Celtic showed last season that the English clubs are in no way much better than them. Blackburn and Liverpool defeated rather easily, I've saw Partick Thistle give them tougher matches than those 2 did! I'm a Rangers fan but I did take some pleasure in seeing Celtic ram it down the throats of the English press.

Yes we won't be able to match Man Utd and Arsenal these days, but neither can most of the other English Premiership teams. Gers and Celtic would definatly get Euro qualification in the English Premiership

Well IMO i dont reckon they should be allowed to join the EPL. There scottish so they should blatantly stay in their own league.

If they were to come into the EPL it would have to be atleast in division 2 but you know for a fact they wouldnt want to play in that league coz they would just say that teams in that league would be no match for them and it would be a waste of time. But they would have to enter the EPL that was as if they came straight into the premiership, what would happen? Would there then be 22 teams in the Premier League or would they just boot out 2 random teams so that they could enter, or 1 season 5 teams get relegated out of the premiership, 3 are promoted into it and Rangers and Celtic come in to it. I reckon if this was to happen it wont be for atleast 4-5 years.

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Originally posted by AlphaZonE Well IMO i dont reckon they should be allowed to join the EPL. There scottish so they should blatantly stay in their own league.

what about the above mentioned welsh teams?! hmmmmm

as i see it celtic and rangers need the big £££ from tv rights etc

celtic and rangers earn less than i think it is something like 3 quarters of the teams in the premeirship from tv money!
this just seems ludicrous to me! teams like birmingham charlton etc!

i reckon if it had to happen it would spice things up a bit (well for us scots) at least we could see how good our teams actually is for a change!

instead of playing against

dundee, hearts, motherwell, kilmarnock, aberdeen, dunfermline, hibs, livingston, dundee utd, partick thistle

who all seem to use the favoured 1-9-1 formation

1=goalie 9=defenders 1=attacking midfield/striker/defender type person

aint gonna happen for a while at least but it would be nice

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to be honest as a celtic fan i wouldn't mind starting in the confrence.

just anything to get out of this shit hole league that we play in.

it's holding us back from reaching our full potential as a football team. i'm not only suggesting the epl, maybe a euro league, please!

This debate keeps cropping up..

personally, I would love to see Celtic matched against the best in England, I firmly believe we can hold our own.

At this moment in time the Premiership clubs get over £20m at worst from TV, Celtic and Rangers get peanuts compared to this and we still compete successfully in Europe and particularly against English opposition. Quite rightly most English comentators point to the top of the English league and say we couldn't compete. If we got the same revenue we could, easily. Both Celtic and Rangers have a bigger worldwide fan base than every English club, bar Man UTD, with season book sales of 40,000 - Rangers and 52,000 - Celtic.

I also think that the guys saying we should start from the bottom are right....it's only fair...we must get there on merit. Think of the financial revenue we could bring to the lower leagues through TV rights and Sponsorship as we progress through the leagues.

As for the British team idea, someone has already pointed out that Wales have teams there, also Austrian teams play in the German Bundesliga.

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Celtic and Rangers do have a good record against English teams but you've got to remember that English teams are in the middle of a tough season playing sides of that calibre week in week out. Celtic and Rangers have a stroll in the park most weeks and can afford to rest their players before big games. If Celtic had faced sides like Man Utd, Arsenal, Blackburn, Southampton etc 3 days before and after all their UEFA Cup games, would they have got as far as they did? Possibly not. Take Newcastle's first fortnight of this season for example, we play Partizan Belgrade (away), Leeds (away), Man Utd (home), Partizan Belgrade (home), that's all in 14 days. Celtic and Rangers play a load of pub teams in comparison.

It is important to take that into account if you're predicting their English premier League success. When your players are injured you won't always be able to rest them, you won't have those luxuries. I think Celtic and Rangers would comfortably make the top half of the English Prem but you'd have a hard fight for a Champions League place.

Also, Celtic and Rangers might make more money, but there are bigger financial risks in the EPL, it's a cut-throat business here. Leeds for example were a Champions League side 18 months ago, now they are in financial ruin and could be fighting relegation this year. Barnsley came into the Premiership expecting it to be a big financial boost, within a couple of years they were in Division Two and financially ruined. Ipswich Town thought they had hit the big time when they were in the Premier League and Europe, but trying to juggle their commitments soon sent them down to Division One. Sunderland stormed into the Premier League after demolishing Division One, but now they are facing going into administration. Of course you can make big bucks in the Premier League but you must realise that much bigger financial risks come with it too.

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Originally posted by evil_bastard Celtic and Rangers do have a good record against English teams but you've got to remember that English teams are in the middle of a tough season playing sides of that calibre week in week out. Celtic and Rangers have a stroll in the park most weeks and can afford to rest their players before big games. If Celtic had faced sides like Man Utd, Arsenal, Blackburn, Southampton etc 3 days before and after all their UEFA Cup games, would they have got as far as they did? Possibly not. Take Newcastle's first fortnight of this season for example, we play Partizan Belgrade (away), Leeds (away), Man Utd (home), Partizan Belgrade (home), that's all in 14 days. Celtic and Rangers play a load of pub teams in comparison.

no but last year celtic did play:

Mar 8 Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers Final score
Mar 13 Celtic 1 - 1 Liverpool Final score
Mar 16 Celtic 1 - 2 Rangers Final score
Mar 20 Liverpool 0 - 2 Celtic Final score

not the easiest of games in 13 days!
these were all big games and no players were rested as we couldnt afford to!

we were at one point around 8 points behind in the league with about 5 games left! we clawed the deficit back and lost out on the final day on goal difference!

ps i wouldnt be scared of playing blackburn 3 days before a euro tie, they forgot to do everything they said they would do to us at ewood park, like winning

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