Its bad enough for teams like Torquay, traveling up north on a Tuesday night without them having to visit blinking Scotland(and the poor fans)! Anyway, the Scots want independence, so I'm sure they'll scoff at the idea.
Actually a lot of Scots don't...the result of a referendum is not a foregone conclusion. It's just that like all arguments, there is a vociferous few. In fact when they conducted a straw poll, more English people wanted Scots independence than did the Scots. P.s. think the English were actually voting for it as a means to English independence.
Thanks Jack, We had some good tussles with Norwich in league one and it's no surprise to me that they're doing very well in the premier league. Lambert & Rodgers are not only successful but are doing so with a style of football is entertaining and pleasing on the eye. Both coaches lead the charge to change football for the better in this country and I hope our Nigel can join them.
Just to annoy, I'm going to suggest that it wouldn't be a bad idea. If a few Welsh clubs are in the English League, why not a couple of Scottish clubs..?
Not for me, thank you. If the big teams want to up sticks and form a European league, let the jocks join that. I don't want them in our league. Would we allow another Scottish team to join if they wanted? Motherwell, Aberdeen, Roath Ravers? How can we limit it to those two, just because they win everything up there?
One or two have hit the nail on the head, if Celtic joined they would have to enter at minimum at championship level. Simply it would be far to expensive for the div 2 and most div one teams to travel to Glasgow, although granted it is only a couple of hours further than Carlisle or maybe Newcastle 2.5. If and it is a big if why would Celtic even contemplate joining the football league. They would be out of Europe for one hell of a long time. Which I think you will find is their biggest source of revenue at the moment. For the life of me I cannot see how it would be more profitable to them to be a member of the English football league. On top of that they would have to compete in the wages market, which of course they could. Wages in the English leagues are higher, the higher up you go, with the premier paying on average a lot higher than the top earners in Scotland. So with all the additional traveling costs, wages costs etc, where would they make an extra profit. Always assuming that was there motive.........
Maybe they'd like some decent competition. If Rangers go to the wall (unlikely though that is) Celtic's position will be ludicrous. Perhaps it is worth taking a hit for a couple of years in the hope of playing at Old Trafford, Anfield and St Mary's.
I suspect that it won`t happen, but I wouldn`t underestimate how big a draw Celtic would become in the English league, given the Irish and Catholic implications also. I agree that they shouldn`t have an automatic entry into the league, so how emtry happen I don`t know. Money talks however. I wonder what some of the yo-yo teams of the premier league (WHU, Brum, WBA etc) would make of another big team arriving and occupying (theoretically) one of `their` places ?
Not sure I fancy a club in the English league which is linked to one religion. Football clubs should be inclusive rather than exclusive.
Fran I totally agree as the Scottish leagues seem to range from the level of Rangers and Celtic who probably equate to teams like Tottenham in stature through to others which are on a par with amateur , Southern league clubs. Interested to read about how Scottish independence would weigh out in the light of Celtic and Rangers playing in an English league. For me, the problem is that Celtic and Rangers are too big for Scottish football and most English fans wouldn't want the sectarianism that is rife in Scotland being brought to the Enhlish game. I was reading that the Rangers situation is only the tip of the iceberg with the likes of Aberdeen also have financial difficulties and the whole game in Scotland being economically challenging. I don't feel that it is a "good product" as there is insufficient competition and can therefore see the desire to play English teams. Opening up the league to all British teams would make it harder for many small English teams with travelling distances and matches in which there would be little interest and fewer derbies. Good post from the chap from Swansea, by the way. Some excellent comments / observations.
Yeah, I must say, a really interesting debate, good to hear both sides putting points across. Nice for a peaceful Sunday afternoon.
I am in favour of a north/south divide for Div 2. The winner of North and South Div 2 get promoted to Div 1, together with the winner of a playoffs between the next 2 teams in both North and South Div 2. That would reduce travel costs for small teams.
All Scottish football is in a financial mess, but actually Aberdeen are in far better order than most, due any debt being underwritten by the chairman, Stewart Milne, an issue for which he gets little credit. Sectarianism isn`t rife in Scotland - in some parts of Glasgow, yes of course. Lets not forget that there is an English team in the Scottish league (Berwick Rangers), so has the precedent for inter-league fratenising been around for years?
