The match stats say that Hearts had 21 shots to Raith’s 0!! Even the Bag ladies did do that badly against Man City last night so it shows you how generally crap Scottish football is.
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The guy they signed looks like a class act
There was talk of Rangers and Celtic joining the premiership years ago I always thought they’d be more of a mid table championship side to be honest.As for Hearts bottom championship top half league one outfit in my opinion would you agree?
Think with the money rangers and Celtic would get from being in the English PL and there fan base it wouldn’t take them to long to become established in the top six… certainly top 10.
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Hearts I agree championship at best.
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As @Gavin77 says, in terms of attendance (and hence cash from the turnstile) Celtic and Rangers could just about get into the EPL top 10, but their standard of football is probably well below that - they just happen to be very big fish in a very small pond so they don’t need to try too hard. And if they were run of the mill (as they would be if they were allowed to join the EPL) rather than winning at least 1 trophy every year then their crowds would also probably wane.
Next rung down you have Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, etc, but they are bog standard Championship at best for attendance, top end of L1 for quality (a la Sunderland, Ipswich, and all the other “fallen giants”).
Below that and there are pub teams that get better crowds!
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Agree with what you say mostly apart from the dwindling attendances for Celtic and Rangers . I think they would need bigger stadiums as I think personally there supporters would love to be in the biggest league in the world. And we all know how excited they get with the thought of beating the English.
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I agree. Even if they joined the English pyramid lower down they would sell out. Having watched a fair bit of Rangers thirty odd years ago, I don’t think folk down here realise just what massive clubs they both are.
If we announced a friendly at Bescot against either of them they could sell our ground out within half an hour.
As tempting as it might be for the English game to have another pair of huge clubs in the league, it won’t happen. It would be messy. In lots of ways.
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Yes I agree - IF they were beating the English. After the novelty of the first season had worn off, mid-table mediocrity (or worse) year after year and there’d be tumbleweed for most games apart from the local derby.
Would be a long trip once per season for the English clubs (apart from Newcastle) but 18 of them for those 2 and their fans. A minimum 8 hour trip to Brighton on a wet Tuesday night and then the same back home?
Would be interesting if they joined . What do you mean by it would get messy ?
When you say massive - comparative to the all the other clubs up there they are, but against those in the EPL?
Compare these 2 lists:
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/marktwerteverein/wettbewerb/GB1
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/scottish-premiership/marktwerteverein/wettbewerb/SC1
Understand what you are saying but I think there value is more to do with the poor league they play in .
If they was to join the our premier league that valuation would quadruple overnight.
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Quadrupling would still only get them to the bottom end of the top 10 English clubs.
To start with yes.
As @Gavin77 says, their value is in part due to their inability to grow in their current climate.
From a fan base perspective they knock numbers two and three on the English list out of the park. If either of the old firm were where Man City are now you could treble the Etihad capacity at their respective homes and it still wouldn’t be enough. Whereas it is more than adequate for City.
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Yes but would they still get that level of support if they were perennial also rans? And at the moment they are guaranteed Champions League every year so can attract some decent players, but they’d be lucky to make the UEFA and basically be on a par with West Ham and Southampton.
I’m not saying they couldn’t hold their own and stay up, but they wouldn’t be the Billy Big Cojones that they are amongst the small fry they currently have to compete against.
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The only joy they get from being those big fish in a small pond is when a minnow takes a bite out of the other one.
And much like my own thoughts on the supposed threat of a European league is that I think we’d be better off without the big four or six so there are plenty in Scotland who think their own competition would be enhanced without the big two. Their league looks like our ground.
Money talks. Celtic and Rangers are huge global brands and if managed at all well would be top six in an “English” league quite quickly because they would suddenly be global brands in a global league getting the riches that come with that.
Anyway - won’t happen. They bring a whole heap of baggage that could sully the EPL brand. And that would never be allowed to happen.
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Was interested to see what would come of the league re-structure proposals. Ultimately they couldn’t find a solution that ensured the Old Firm game would be televised at least four times a season and didn’t change anything.
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I think people are blinded by the fact the jock league is rather tinpot, and assume that both clubs would only be mediocre standard in the English pyramid.
What they forget is, that both clubs have great grounds, huge fan-bases, and lots of history. They may struggle for a few seasons, but for the above reasons, the associated riches brought to them by the TV monies, sponsorship, and increased worldwide exposure, they would soon find themselves in the mix, attracting big players, and potentially winning things.
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Absolutely, What’s the options sign for Salford in league 1 and play in front of 3k in a tin pot stadium. Or play for Hearts in front of 20k, whilst earning a few grand a week and living in a great City.
I know which one I’m choosing l’
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