England move would triple value of Celtic, says McCann

He once turned a deaf ear to the boos, now Fergus McCann is casting his eyes to the future and the saviour of Celtic believes the club he led to a safe playing field in cash terms could be invited into an expanded English Premier League.

He insists the cash from that move would triple the value of the club overnight. The Bhoy from Croy who made his millions in Canada has confidence that the move to England will not be an impossible dream for a club that now dominates Scottish football but was 20 years ago on the brink of oblivion.

McCann, whose personal wealth was used to satisfy the demands of the Bank of Scotland in 1994, was famously booed when he unfurled the title flag in 1998 before leaving Scotland the next year. In an interview granted to mark 20 years of his intervention at Parkhead, the businessman claims the boos in 98 did not faze him. He will be at Celtic Park in August to unfurl the league title as Celtic cruise to a third consecutive championship.

"It was disappointing but did not bother me greatly. People pay their money and have the right to applaud or boo as they wish," he says of the response to the flag ceremony in 1998. The immediate future for the club includes the stroll to the SPFL title but McCann hopes bigger things may lie ahead.

Celtic have constantly been linked with a move to England and the man who once travelled to Celtic Park in the Croy supporters' bus believes fans could be given the chance to watch their heroes play in the richest league in the world.

"I would like to see the English Premier League expand and include Celtic," he says. "I think it could and should happen. It would triple the size of the club in financial terms, overnight."

McCann, who was vilified for his tightness with the purse strings at Celtic, would not comment directly on the financial troubles that have beset Rangers over the past two years. After taking a 51% share in Celtic, McCann was compared unfavourably to Sir David Murray at Rangers and his free-spending philosophy.

Murray once said that he would spend a tenner to every fiver paid out by Celtic but McCann was measured in how he addressed a question about whether the cash crisis at Ibrox - that led to administration and then liquidation - had vindicated his strategy.

"Everybody wants to win all the time but not everybody can. Football clubs should be ambitious but have to manage risk. Many have not done this well," he says and there is great temptation to do expensive, short-term deals. I worry about the effect of current owners who 'do not care what it costs' such as at Chelsea and Man City on the overall game."

The businessman thus fears for the future of some English clubs but the visionary perceives a future where Celtic can prosper with proper leadership in the same environment.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/celti...-value-of-celtic-says-mccann-154394n.23583876

 

The only way I could see England happening, is if a bunch of clubs collapsed and the FA wanted a quick fix. The likes of Celtic (possibly aberdeen too) could totally replace, say, Villa, or West brom etc etc (I am not saying I think those clubs will collapse, they just happened to enter my head at the time).

Euro super league(s) is in my opinion the more likely eventual outcome.

Edit: Ghod Bless Fergus McCann

 

You will have upset a lot of folk on here with the ''No, we are a Scottish club'' option.

 

Personally I would prefer some kind of European league set up. But if we got the chance to move into the epl I would be fine with that as clearly that would allow us to grow massively financially and all the potential that such growth creates.

 

He insists the cash from that move would triple the value of the club overnight.

and by the end of the week it would be tenfold

 

Celtic playing in the English league would be great.

 

I think it's getting to a stage where this awful league is holding us back.

 

European super league or to England either way we would make a shitload more money with tv deals alone, as we progress then we would have the potential to be in the european elite. I like the idea of being in the English leagues to prove how good we would be but a European super league would be * amazing

 

It was * awful even when we had competition. Do I want to see this great club entering Europe under the English flag ? Not a chance.

 

I hate when this point comes up over and over again, why would we become part of the English league? Yes, so we are part of the U.K. but its like Porto wanting to become part of the Spanish league because they can earn more money.

The SFA * us over about 30 years ago when they mis-managed everything from grass-roots football to advertising the league across the globe. I mean why has it taken until 2013 to become social-media focused?

I bet we could have negotiated better television rights back in the 90's and built on this. If they let Celtic negotiate television rights themselves, I reckon we could easily pull in a minimum of £25m.

 

England would be great for Celtic. So * though, * the Premiership. Stay in Scotland!

 

Some things are more important than money. I don't ever want us to be part of the English setup.

 

* that imagine the fines every week

 

We'd still be a Scottish club, competing for Scotland. Just because we'd be playing in England, wouldn't mean competing for England.

 

No chance. I'd rather see us stay well clear of England.

 

Like Swansea, we would be competing under the English flag. We would contributing to the English coefficient. * that.

If you play in the English Premier League you represent England in Europe.

 

Would cream ma keks if we got a move to England. Sorry, don't give a * about Scotland. Celtic are all that matters football wise

 

Can we no join the bundesliga instead

 

If we moved to the EPL we'd be a Newcastle United/ Southampton type club and we'd likely never play in the Champions League ever again. Not appealing at all.