British Premier League

[Yamalroite]

I'm just excited for sky and bt subscriptions to come down in cost. Especially how all there employers are going on about greed and how expensive football is....

 

[Bogota Wolf]

I can only think that too much of the Columbian poppy products have addled your brain if England is not a country.

Just to help with your education - and Mutchy, this is about football identity including at England and Wolves matches, see final sentence.
1. Colombia is the name of the country and poppy production is absolutely minimal in the country compared with other much better known products such as music, cocaine, marijuana, coffee, flowers, emeralds and gold - heard of El Dorado?
2. And, by any definition, England is not a 'country' - it has no government, no Head of State, no currency, no seat at the United Nations, no military, no team in the Olympics etc etc. Our well recognised sports of football and cricket have national teams for historical reasons. Finally, for your benefit , the name of our country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ie the UK.
I also suggest you ask older England and club fans why they used to fly the Union Jack for England and league and cup matches, but also why the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish often objected. Most Brits are quite often totally confused by our identity.
Just so that you know, I am a proud Brit and Englishmen who was one of the first to have a WWFC Cross of St. George flag. You can see it on display at World Cup matches behind the goal at the World Cup matches in Spain 1982 on Youtube with the Union Jacks.

 

[Bogota Wolf]

The only fly in this ointment is the fact that Rangers and Celtic play in competitions run by the SFA and as such they would never allow this to happen as it is detrimental to the Scottish identity as a sovereign footballing nation and to be frank all of the national associations in the UK would be very vocal in condemning it.
We have over a hundred years of precedent and to break that would be unthinkable - sounds like the ESL does it not.

Completely correct and just to add that the Spanish Football Association in particular has been very much anti the four 'national' teams in the UK concept, partly because of strong regional identities inside their country interested in having their own national identity teams. They see the Basques, Catalans and Gallegos as equivalent of the Scots, Irish and Welsh and do not want to encourage similar separatist issues, despite them existing. The UKs league system and 'nations' set up is permitted by FIFA simply out of respect for historically organising the sport - and that's their cover excuse for not getting into this British, English etc debate.
There are other factors but the Glasgow teams despite the romantic and business attractions will never join the English (with a bit of Welsh) league system.

KTF UTW

 

[Sussex Wolf]

It’s a nonstarter to put them in the PL for all the reasons described above. Better potentially would be the return of a British Cup competition. This could.be a standalone summer competition with top PL and SPL teams, or one of the existing FA or EFL cups could be broadened to include Scottish clubs - maybe SPL clubs could enter at round 3 as PL clubs do. Something like that.

 

[Wall heath Wanderer]

May be worth asking what the fans of the Scottish clubs think.

 

[CelebrityWolf]

With Premier League investment they'd easily compete in top 8

100%

 

[Bogota Wolf]

May be worth asking what the fans of the Scottish clubs think.

How do you say... Go **** yourself in Glaswegian?

 

[Wall heath Wanderer]

How do you say... Go **** yourself in Glaswegian?

From a documentary i watched following the life of a guy in a string vest and tatty suit jacket, i think it starts with "I will tell you this...."

 

[SuperGran]

How do you say... Go **** yourself in Glaswegian?

It’s called a Glasgow kiss I believe

 

[Axle]

Are either bigger than Newcastle?

Attendances and record transfer fees suggest not. Newcastle have struggled for a long time and there’s no suggestion this will be different with the Old Firm.

I know it’s The Sun, but this makes for interesting if purely suppositious Reading:

Supercomputer predicts where Celtic and Rangers would be in Premier League table

A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted where Rangers and Celtic would be in the Premier League – and it’s grim viewing for this season’s Scottish champs. SunSport exclusively revealed that…

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[Oliwolf44]

This wont happen any time soon. Any talk of super league or league mergers now is like political asbestos.

 

[Bogota Wolf]

It’s called a Glasgow kiss I believe

But you are immune if you wear a University of Glasgow College scarf...

Glasgow University College Scarf

Glasgow University College Scarf from Ede & Ravenscroft. A university memento is a great way to bring back happy memories.

graduation-services.edeandravenscroft.com

Nice colours.

 

[BrianSwan]

Not a chance in hell PL clubs would willingly want MORE competition and less spots. Dumb, fake news

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

It’s a nonstarter to put them in the PL for all the reasons described above. Better potentially would be the return of a British Cup competition. This could.be a standalone summer competition with top PL and SPL teams, or one of the existing FA or EFL cups could be broadened to include Scottish clubs - maybe SPL clubs could enter at round 3 as PL clubs do. Something like that.

That would be treated as a preseason tournament and be dead within five years.

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Are either bigger than Newcastle?

Attendances and record transfer fees suggest not. Newcastle have struggled for a long time and there’s no suggestion this will be different with the Old Firm.

I know it’s The Sun, but this makes for interesting if purely suppositious Reading:

Supercomputer predicts where Celtic and Rangers would be in Premier League table

A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted where Rangers and Celtic would be in the Premier League – and it’s grim viewing for this season’s Scottish champs. SunSport exclusively revealed that…

www.thesun.co.uk

Drop Newcastle in the Scottish League and have a look at their transfer record. FFS why can't people see beyond the here and now.

With the injection of PL money over a prolonged period Celtic in particular have the potential to be a bohemoth

 

[Bob Wolf]

just seen David more comments on the bbc. Talking about making a PL 1 and PL 2 with the Glasgow clubs joining. What’s wrong with just keeping it the way it is? It was working perfectly fine before VAR, IFAB, super leagues etc. The biggest problem I can see is money finding is way down to the lower order sides in the pyramid. That doesn’t need a restructure it needs a change of mentality in leadership positions.

 

[NewarkWolf]

Monday = ‘ESL is outrageous. The big 6 cannot be allowed to start a league that rips apart their domestic set-up and disregards the principles of sporting merit’.

Friday = ‘Celtic and Rangers are too big for the Scottish league so should jump ship to the EPL’.

FFS

Too big for spl but not good enough for EPL.

 

[Axle]

Drop Newcastle in the Scottish League and have a look at their transfer record. FFS why can't people see beyond the here and now.

With the injection of PL money over a prolonged period Celtic in particular have the potential to be a bohemoth

LAWLZ. Yeah just the same as any club coming up from the championship. Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Notts Forest all potentially bigger than the ‘big fish’ of the Scottish league. All have struggled and / or fallen away.

As you say it takes time, so what happens in the meantime while these clubs do a Leeds or a Wolves and fall away to the lower reaches of the league?

Do you protect them from relegation? Absurd. It’s you who’s not seeing beyond the here and now: Football is played over one season and you’re only as good as your last result.

They can join the league, but like everyone else they earn it on how well they perform in the seasons before that by joining the pyramid at the very bottom.

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

LAWLZ. Yeah just the same as any club coming up from the championship. Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Notts Forest all potentially bigger than the ‘big fish’ of the Scottish league. All have struggled and / or fallen away.

As you say it takes time, so what happens in the meantime while these clubs do a Leeds or a Wolves and fall away to the lower reaches of the league?

Do you protect them from relegation? Absurd. It’s you who’s not seeing beyond the here and now: Football is played over one season and you’re only as good as your last result.

They can join the league, but like everyone else they earn it on how well they perform in the seasons before that by joining the pyramid at the very bottom.

Ha. They have 60,000 every week to watch absolute dirge. Different level to Wednesday and Forest.

As you point out in the short term they may well struggle to establish themselves, they may even get relegated but their ceiling is so so high.

They're bigger than Arsenal. And you're comparing them to Sheffield Wednesday!

 

[BlahBlah]

In principle I’m not against Scottish teams in the PL, but exactly how would that work? What happens if they finish in the bottoms three? What about the English clubs who would have to make way, since the big six have already been seeking a reduction in the size of the league from 20 to 18 clubs?

There should be no significant changes to the English leagues until the government review has completed and any reforms such as an independent regulator and fans on boards implemented.

One of the reasons previously quoted (over decades) was the English police did not want drunken Glaswegian hoardes down here in their 10's of thousands every week....making it impossible for the Old Firm to play anywhere other than top flight teams with big infrastructure and large police forces.
The destruction of traditional Saturday games and the improved technology for ticket management, with extra TV coverage might change that now.
Be funny if they got in, then Scotland voted for independence and we kicked them out again.

 

[BlahBlah]

LAWLZ. Yeah just the same as any club coming up from the championship. Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Notts Forest all potentially bigger than the ‘big fish’ of the Scottish league. All have struggled and / or fallen away.

I fear you're wrong about that. They have enormous support and if there were chances of riches, they would get big outside investment...potentially Celtic would get more from Ireland and the USA.

Check out the few times the Glasgow clubs have been allowed to play pre-season friendlies down here. Rangers were banned for years and then played a testimonial in Sunderland bringing 8000, smashed it to pieces and quite a few stabbings. And those are the ones that do not hate England.
London police would not sanction them playing in any pre-season tournament in the capital.
I'm not sure if either club have been allowed here unless it's an unavoidable European tie?

 

[Lyewolves]

Could understand Celtic, but why invite a team that's only a couple of seasons old, with no history?

Is this true mate? Do the Scottish f.a Know about it? I think you had better inform uefa and FIFA Pretty sharpish. I feel sorry for all the rangers fans not knowing about this. In fact I think you should go to Glasgow and start informing them of the situation.

 

[Pagey]

Is this true mate? Do the Scottish f.a Know about it? I think you had better inform uefa and FIFA Pretty sharpish. I feel sorry for all the rangers fans not knowing about this. In fact I think you should go to Glasgow and start informing them of the situation.

Think they know, but in denial mate

 

[Hot Fuss]

Some people are automatically assuming that the old firm, Celtic especially, would become a formidable force challenging the top 4 within a few years. This isn't guaranteed. Look at theirs and Rangers squad's this season. There is no chance they finish anything other than 19th and 20th in the Premier League. It's a different level than Scottish football by several degrees of magnitude. Then what? No way do the 14 non-greedy clubs in the Premier allow them to have an exemption from relegation so to stay in the league long enough for the money to really kick in.

So do they go into the bear pit that is the Championship?. There are no Raith's or Motherwell's there for them to push around! So, far from rolling in dosh, they are stuck in a living hell of a division without even the existing money from European football.

I honestly think they would struggle without a massive injection of cash up front, much bigger than teams currently get, to build a squad capable of being competitive. As it is, they would be in a much worse position to compete than a Norwich or Watford.

They would struggle initially (although Rangers have had some good results in Europe this season) but it wouldn’t take them long to get established.
We went from 15th in the championship to 7th in the premier league in 2 years. Rangers and Celtic could do the same. People underestimate just how big they are as clubs. With premier league money and exposure backed up by bigger crowds than most other teams they’d do well.
Won’t happen anyway.

 

[Rugrats]

Didn't happen with the franchise from Milton Keynes though did it. The league ripped up the rule book to shoehorn them into the pyramid way above the bottom rung !

 

[Rugrats]

Drop Newcastle in the Scottish League and have a look at their transfer record. FFS why can't people see beyond the here and now.

With the injection of PL money over a prolonged period Celtic in particular have the potential to be a bohemoth

Can you see world class players freezing their arses off in the dark dank days of Scotland and enormous journeys to away games week in week out. They're frightened of losing their hair band let alone a flight every week !

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Can you see world class players freezing their arses off in the dark dank days of Scotland and enormous journeys to away games week in week out. They're frightened of losing their hair band let alone a flight every week !

They'll fly to most games. They'll spend less time travelling than any other team probably.

The frozen wastelands of Glasgow have been good enough for many World Class players in the past...

Ignoring some of the excellent Scots to have played for the OF (e.g. Dalglish), the likes of Brian Laudrup, Ronald De Boer, Paul Gascoigne, Henrik Larsson and... er... Lee Naylor have all called Glasgow home.

 

[Norman Bell]

Why all this ridiculous talk about two sides who have not even made it in to the Semi Finals of this seasons Scottish Cup !

 

[wolvesjoe]

It would be a fantastic development, in my view. Both Glasgow clubs could
compete at top half of PL level, and their fans would bring an incredible
atmosphere to the league.

Over time, I think the Edinburgh clubs and Aberdeen would also become PL
or CL clubs.

I lived in Glasgow for several years, so might be a bit biased, but the fans are
knowledgeable, funny and passionate. Once we were passed the inevitable
turf wars, I can only see a positive competitive contribution.

More widely, it would cement and renew the Union between England and
Scotland, which has contributed so much to our shared history, and personal lives too.

Unfortunately I dont think it will happen as all PL and CL clubs will see it as a threat.

 

[Lyewolves]

Think they know, but in denial mate

Must be a massive conspiracy. If all the governing bodies are in on it. I looked up Rangers on Wikipedia and it said that they have won 55 league titals. So they must be in on it as well. How far does this go?