What would happen if the Old Firm made it into England?

It would be good for Scottish football in terms of someone else winning the league, but I feel that Scottish football would become perhaps a three horse race between Hearts, Dundee United and Aberdeen and with a little time Hibernian would be in the mix. But if it was out of three teams every year is it much better than a two horse race with the inclusion of the Old Firm?

Ultimately Scottish football would dwindle into nothing, no one would care to watch it. I’m from Scotland and if Rangers went to the Premiership I’d never watch another Scottish league game in my life in fact at the moment I’ll only watch Rangers. If you take the big fish out of the wee pond what do you get? A boring pond.

Now it may seem I’ve built up the Old Firm as the corner stone of Scottish football and they would ride into the English Premiership and dominate it, if I have then sorry cause that isn’t going to happen. Simple as that.

For years the Old firm have desperately clinged to the hope that they could sneak into the cash rich English set up but it simply won’t happen, for one how do they have the right to demand entry to the Premiership? They don’t. Teams in the Premiership have worked hard to get or stay there and they aren’t going to just allow the Old Firm to swagger in without having to go through the toils of getting into the league.

I believe the Old Firm would jump at the chance of joining the Premiership because of the huge TV rights and the ability to draw in a huge amount of talent above and beyond what they have at the moment. Although I think the Old Firm would join the ranks of Tottenham, Aston Villa, Man City and Everton teams often predicted to break into the top four but instead come the end of the season are fighting with each other for Uefa (now Europa League) places. But Rangers and Celtic would only start to do this after a season or two, I think both clubs would be surprised at the level of competition they faced each week and would need to severely strengthen both squads in all positions, as a Rangers fan I could see a few players like Bougherra, Davis, Papac and a few others handling the Premiership while Novo, Miller, Weir and many more are not at Premiership standard.

So what would the Premiership gain from this move? One of the world’s biggest derby matches and two teams supported worldwide with fan bases much bigger than the likes of Stoke, Hull and the incoming Birmingham, Wolves and Burnley which could be used to negotiate even bigger TV deals but is that enough for the logistical problems of the two teams being based in Glasgow? In a short answer I don’t know. The Premiership is already arguably the greatest and most entertaining league in the world so they don’t need anyone else but the Old Firm would add something special. Welsh teams already compete in the English set up so it could be done.

I think for the Old Firm to reach their maximum potential then a move to England is imperative, perhaps starting in the Coca-Cola Championship. I feel the Championship would give Rangers and Celtic a good grounding in English football and improve that league no end, perhaps only for a year if both clubs are promoted but who says they would be? If Rangers and Celtic stay in Scotland then the decline will continue, both teams will continue to dominate for a time but despite all the money they have (or don’t have in Rangers debt ridden case) will continue to propel them above the others, but we won’t see any real talent on display players at the end of Premiership careers will come using big names to pick up a large pension as they play out there days in Scotland. We won’t get another Laudrup, Larsson, Gazza, Moravchik because players with this level talent are now well and truly above and beyond Scottish football.