Shake up of the English Leagues: opportunity for us to move in?

Yup.

You're right. Completely. Our model would grow 300%-400% maybe 500% in revenues. But, is it worth heading down South just for that when we could team up with Ajax, Feyenoord, Benefica etc and create our own Atlantic Set Up and put our own demands down to Sky and the rest? I would rather do that as it hedges against the risk management of saying England destroying itself (very very unlikely) in the very long term of things.

 

Wouldn't throwing £300 million into a squad in one season breach the financial fair play rules and leave you with £300 million worth of brand new players trying to adapt to a new league with a club that is still to adapt to the new league itself while they try to gel with a team where none to very little of the players know each other footballing wise because they all just arrived in the summer? Seems like a lot to deal with in one summer just to then get bottom half of the table because of the above leading to us struggling.

 

I see the Atlantic league constantly given out as an alternative to is joining English ranks.

In terms of finance it may well be a lucrative idea, but for fans, again away days would maybe 100 or so traveling if we are lucky, as fans I don't see how having to travel halfway across Europe is a good thing ever other weekend.

Players would probably tire quicker for the same reasons.

Atlantic league, never understood why so many are into the idea

 

I'll say what I always say in these threads. I don't care about Scottish football, the Scottish national team or any other club in Scotland. The only thing that matters to me in this whole discussion is Celtic. The thought of Celtic living up to its full potential is very compelling to consider. A move to the EPL would - you would think - eventually result in just that. Yes the club would probably be watered down a bit if this happened, but the spirit would remain intact. Anyone who thinks it wouldn't is selling the supporters short. Imagine Celtic being a slightly smaller Barcelona, which is basically what it could turn into if we got into a league like the EPL.

It would be * magic and anyone who would rather stay in the backwaters of the SPL is mad!

 

I like the idea of an Atlantic league but how would this impact the champions league?

If we put Ajax, psv, fenerbache and all the other European regulars into one league we would need to have like 16/20 champions league spaces in that league.

 

They can ram it up their *, we are Celtic we dont need their hyperbole league

 

Not going to happen. It's a last resort and pipe dream.

 

It isn't likely to end any time soon, but there are a number of potential factors that could cause that to happen in the future. Wise club owners down south will be saving a proportion of money to keep clubs afloat in the event of a financial disaster.

Man U are the perfect example to prove that throwing money at a squad doesn't guarantee success.

I'd rather try to improve the Scottish league, than beg for EPL entry like a cheap prostitute.

Your dislike for the EPL is blinding you slightly. Leicester are anything but a poor side and to say sides have no composure on the ball or tactical nous is nothing short of ridiculous. Sure, they've performed poorly in Europe in recent years but watching the difference between Scottish football and English football shows a massive gap in terms of composure on the ball.

 

I think some of the fear about being watered down is that is being in the EPL make us an incredibly attractive investment, possibly more so then most the teams in England bar the global appeal of say man u.

Our global foot print is on par with most of the to clubs, we are run well in terms of finance and are debt free compared to every club in UK, giving us the huge cash injection of English sponsorships and such like could see some crazed billionaire come out of nowhere and buy us.

That is what I think some fans would be scared of.

 

Even if the did let us join the English league they will say we have to start in league two
makes common sense

 

* would say we already are a cheap prostitute, rich teams pumping us(signing our best players on the cheap) and laughing at how bad we are. Then we're delighted when we make the CL or over the moon at a guy like Rodgers taking the job because we know they are 'out of our League' when we as a Club should be one of the best in the world on and off the park if it was a level playing field.

 

Agree, as soon as we get out of Scottish football it will be like appointing Rodgers, Seville, beating Barcelona, the 5-1 and 6-2 games, the Treble and the death of Rangers all rolled into one.

 

I used to really want to get in the English leagues, but not any longer. Having thought it through, we really could go a long long time without any trophy. Our big fan base is no longer enough, as the money about these days is phenomenal and to guarantee a top 5 spot and the odd cup would take about half a billion....and even then, it still isnt gauranteed.e.g. Chelski this year!

Nah, concentrate on our own league system until such time as European leagues proper are set up, and then see what is on offer.

 

Need to get 10IAR first before we go anywhere.Also any success in Europe would be far more enjoyable doing it from where we are rather than doing it from the cash cow that is the EPL.

 

The one thing I would say is that if we ever got a move like this, you could wave goodbye to the club as you currently know it.

We see plenty of complaints about these money clubs down south and how they have such high ticket prices that the average Joe is priced out of attending and so on.

That would be us within five years. Our club would be unrecognisable. In fact, we'd be just another playground for some rich Arab who fields a team of players who are here simply for the money and who are even further removed from the fans than they already are.

Not for me. I'll happily put up with Scottish football and European football as we currently see it.

 

Tbh apart from the elite London clubs, most season tickets in England are ~£500 (which is what I paid for my Celtic one) and with lots of fan resistance.

So I wouldn't see any tremendous price rises.

I think some kind of restructure is inevitable, and not particularly criticising Celtic here. Football in general, the top teams resent having to play small teams, so a restructure that sees European football (heavily weighted towards well supported, well marketed teams) will be the "main" league attraction, where as domestic stuff will be downgraded.

Whether this is through expanding the champions league to accomodate more fixtures (and filter out the smaller teams) or via an Atlantic League or via Celtic getting entry to the Premier League I don't know.

My guess is european competition being allowed more emphasis for the sake of TV.

 

I honestly think that if we ever got access to the English game I'd start supporting a lower league Scottish side, or attend junior football instead.

 

I would stay out of the English Leagues for now, see what other options appear. Celtic should be European club first before another English Premier League club.

I think most people keen on joining the English Leagues only want to do that because they're convinced we'll be a top side in England. With all the competition for top four down there, we need to recognise that that probably won't happen. * being another Everton/Liverpool.

 

While im not against us joining the English set up i dont think it should be the be all and end all. I think a European set up would be more appealing to fans given that we would still maintain our Scottish identity as a club rather than being classed as from England in competitions as in representing the English leagues.