Not convinced on that one myself. Suggest you change FACT for OPINION. Some also like to claim that Celtic and Rangers are only Championship standard clubs. I remember the last time we played both while we were a Prem club - we did not succeed in either match. My opinion is both would hold their own in the Prem, and then improve as the Prem-level money rolled in. Rangers could sure do with it.
They would both be relegated now. Celtic and Rangers are very different teams to the ones they were 10 years ago.
Agreed. Quality of players signed has dropped drastically, in line with the diminishing transfer/wage budget.
Middlesborough last year were basically a team filled with celtic and rangers players and failed miserably.
the quality of the SPL is dropping because they don't have the money to keep up with the Premier League. Sky TV ruins football again.
Some good opinions here (as opposed to facts), but I disagree. My opinion (I have to write this every post as I get accused of claiming fact) Celtic would do fine in mid-Prem (prob at same level as current Liverpool, Fulham, Everton etc and at least as good as Villa, Norwich, Swansea) and once the money was rolling in, they would attract the players. Rangers have other problems that might mean that a team perfectly capable of staying up may be relegated (like us the last two relegations)
Other than Celtic and Rangers, do you honestly think that any of the other clubs would survive in the Championship? Motherwell, Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs etc are very poor teams. The SPL clubs struggle to compete financially with Lge One clubs. Their teams are very weak and talentless. Watch St Mirren v Kilmarnock and you could easily be watching Accrington v Barnet. Its not opinion that the SPL is rubbish, its a fact. Its not opinion that the SPL is dying, its a fact. The fact that Rangers are on the brink of oblivion tells you that there simply isn't any money in Scottish football, and the decline of the standard of football in Scotland sadly means investment will not materialise. The SPL simply now have a product that they can't sell, and as other leagues improve Scotland is being left well behind. It is sad that the SPL is disappearing into the abyss, but its a fact. No investment, struggling to produce genuine quality young talent, more and more poor players filling the league resulting in a declining standard. As has been stated already, Sky money doesn't help when its so overloaded in favour of the Prem Lge. Outside Celtic and the bankrupt Rangers consider these average attendances for the SPL this past season: Hearts 13,381 Hibs 9,909 Aberdeen 9,296 Dundee Utd 7,481 Motherwell 5,946 Kilmarnock 5,537 Dunfermline 4,799 St Mirren 4,492 St Johnstone 4,169 Inverness 4,023 So how on earth can these clubs compete with the Championship clubs? Bristol City would finish third in the SPL. These pathetic gates are for clubs that are supposed to be the elite in Scotland. Sorry, SPL is poor...FACT.
In fairness to Caley they were only formed in the mid 90's and Inverness only has a population of ~60,000, so there % attendance/population in the SPL is about the same as ours in the PL. Just thought I'd defend my home town club.
I was chatting to my son the other day about how he could easily become a footballer in Scotland - he is half Scottish after all, on his mother's side, and his hometown club would be St Mirren. Expanding on that, if Scottish football is so "bad", why don't the Scottish clubs scout around down in England and nick all those that just don't manage to make it at our football clubs? If I ran a Scottish club, I would be watching with interest any kids at age 17 or 18 that are dropped or not offered a contract by Man U, Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs etc etc.
Clubs are looking. Our former youngster Ben Gordon who went to Chelsea before being released, loaned to Tranmere, Scunny and Peterboro where he failed to make any impact is now a star player at Kilmarnock. Couldn't cut it in Lge One but shining in SPL. I think it is bad that the SPL has been allowed to fall away so badly, but its a fact of life now and hard to see how Scottish football bounces back.
Scottish football bounces back by getting those "rejects" at an early age, paying them a reasonable salary (£35k per year to start - that's better than a starting salary for a banker!), and they spend their real money on employing the best managers and coaches to develop these kids into real talent, and developing a real hometown feel for their club, and treat their players like family. In 10-15 years, Scottish Premier League would be competitive and damn good. Football only needs money when it is fed by money. Take that away and it becomes real, artistic, and the likes of Eddie Gray, Kenny Dalglish and Billy Bremner will be born again in the bodies of others.
Its not just players, they can't get decent managers and coaches. SFA needs to put money into developing coaches, but as usual once they are identified they are lured away from Scottish football. The only way Scottish football can develop into something decent is if the BIG money dries up in England and the Champions League.
Try telling that to scum fans, they think they've done a service to the English game by marketing it and attracting "better" players they conveniently overlook that they've widened the gap and ruined any competition.
Good point Marko, except now their debt means they can't go and sign anyone they want anymore. I pity the poor sod who takes over when Red Nose quits, and I predict the Scum will become exactly what they were before Fergie, just another club incapable of winning the title. Another 25 years drought on the way
I never actually considered that if Rangers and Celtic were put in the English League, then they'd probably do reasonably well in any of the 4 divisions, based on the fact that they would have the transfer window, and they would attract players based on what league they were in. In the Premier League they'd be at least top 10 on turnover, allowing them to fund a team more than capable of a finish to reflect that.
