U-turn leaves Football League facing competition to tempt Old Firm clubs

[SteveC 150]

There is nothing in league 1 in England that could compete with the resources of Rangers. The Championship is a different matter because for one thing every year you have 3 clubs dropping down from the premiership with parachute payments but the majority also couldn't compete with Rangers given that all the others would be receiving the same TV deal but they don't have the crowds to match Rangers.

 

I'm pretty confident that if the likes of Bournemouth with a stadium capacity of 11K can make it to the EPL which they have then a team with the additional resources and drawing power of Rangers can do it too.

 

But if you think a better alternative is to stay on this sinking ship till it hits the bottom with the league of Ireland that's your choice. Personally I wish we had got out in 2012 and started at the bottom in England then and I would still prefer England to any continental league now.

 

That's a fair point but you have to balance it with the likes of Newcastle, Villa etc not being able to remain there and once very big clubs - Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves, say - spending decades mostly in lower divisions. We have a support used to success (witness the grumbling already this season) - they would have to adjust sharpish to a different world order. Having said which we absolutely have to get out of Scotland - the way the game is now run, we have no chance - it is the opposite of a level playing field.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Competing in a NAL wouldn't be financially out of fans reach. Tickets for away games in Holland, Sweden and Norway etc wouldn't be overly expensive and busses to these games and flights could be arranged at a reasonable price.

We would still fill Ibrox every other week and the TV money would rocket with companies in all of the countries competing, bidding for TV rights.

Granted it may take a while to rival the already established competition however all clubs would be in a far better financial and footballing position.

[compo 6,214]

I would love to be in the EPL or La Liga but its never going to happen we as our foes in the east will play in Scotland forever .

[SteveC 150]

Competing in a NAL wouldn't be financially out of fans reach. Tickets for away games in Holland, Sweden and Norway etc wouldn't be overly expensive and busses to these games and flights could be arranged at a reasonable price.

We would still fill Ibrox every other week and the TV money would rocket with companies in all of the countries competing, bidding for TV rights.

Granted it may take a while to rival the already established competition however all clubs would be in a far better financial and footballing position.

 

 

Perhaps, but I think that may soon be far from a certainty, and already is not so easy for Sweden and Norway. Once you got there the cost of booze would bankrupt you in any case, were you to partake.

[D'Artagnan 173]

Several years ago I would have argued vehemently against any move down south.

 

Now, with all that has transpired and our treatment - I would jump at the chance

[Bluedell 5,354]

Don't have much interest in a NAL, but a move down south would be excellent.

[pete 2,499]

Don't have much interest in a NAL, but a move down south would be excellent.

 

Would you be happy being stuck out of a premier league for up to 10 years as it could take that long to work our way up? The first 2 or 3 seasons may be easy but after that it would be a battle. It is not easy to win league 1 or the Championship.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Would you be happy being stuck out of a premier league for up to 10 years as it could take that long to work our way up? The first 2 or 3 seasons may be easy but after that it would be a battle. It is not easy to win league 1 or the Championship.

I'd be perfectly happy with that.

[Thinker 886]

Would you be happy being stuck out of a premier league for up to 10 years as it could take that long to work our way up? The first 2 or 3 seasons may be easy but after that it would be a battle. It is not easy to win league 1 or the Championship.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with that.

 

Happier with that than 10 years in a declining SPFL Premiership.

[JFK-1 1,677]

That's a fair point but you have to balance it with the likes of Newcastle, Villa etc not being able to remain there and once very big clubs - Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves, say - spending decades mostly in lower divisions. We have a support used to success (witness the grumbling already this season) - they would have to adjust sharpish to a different world order. Having said which we absolutely have to get out of Scotland - the way the game is now run, we have no chance - it is the opposite of a level playing field.

 

I doubt Newcastle or Villa will be spending any length of time there and even they are nothing like the draw Rangers are and would be in the English setup. Rangers have an estimated 1.4 million fans in the UK alone which Newcastle and Villa combined couldn't match and once in the English environment and driving towards the promised land that type of fan base would be invigorated no end.

 

I doubt anything below the Championship would present much of a problem then once in the Championship with the big stage just a step away you have to feel it would be an attractive investment proposition for all manner of sponsorship etc to tap into that vast fan base little in all of England can match. Even things such as our own Rangers TV would see a massive uptake not just in the UK but globally where there is an estimated minimum fan base in excess of 8 million.

 

And at the end of the day anything has to be better than the current cess pit. Success for us in the current setup means little more than winning the Scottish league which in itself is hardly success of the type a club of our standing and history should be happy with. Euro success should be the real ambition and that's not going to happen if we stay where we are judging success to be winning a Mickey Mouse league.