Being international week I would normally be enjoying a break from my weekly feature but the TEB editor asked for my thoughts on something that always seems to stir the pot at bit.
A lot has been said about the potential for Scottish teams joining the English league but my honest view is simple. I hate the idea.
I know there is are a few Welsh teams in English football but I am led to believe that it is because the Welsh Football League was not founded until 1992. If the top brass in Scotland and England started to allow or invite teams from another ‘foreign’ league, then it would just open the floodgates for all the other leagues across the world to do so.
It would ruin what love I have for football because if they allowed this to happen in any of the leagues across the world, it would be purely for a financial reason and money has spoilt the game enough as it is.
You would also have to take in the costs of travelling to away matches. Yes, to begin with you would no doubt see a big surge in Scottish away fans visiting grounds they would not normally get the chance to do so and vice versa but what happens when the novelty wears off and it is shown on television every other week? Would you still see the same amount of fans crossing the borders?
Even up here in Scotland, the size of the travelling support is mediocre at best with the exception of four or five teams. We would bring nothing to the English Premier League or English Football League. I am not ashamed to say this either, the gap between the leagues is massive.
The Old Firm would obviously think differently. Celtic and Rangers have long prostituted themselves for a move away from Scottish Football. For two teams that keep telling us that Scottish Football needs a strong Old Firm, they would be more than happy to leave us and head to what they see as the Holy Grail, the Premier League.
I do not know what the papers report down South about this but it is now a yearly occurrence that the top men in charge of this lot will speak to the media and bleat on about how they will ‘inevitabley’ join the ranks of the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and challenge at the top.
A move down to England is purely for financial reasons. The move would be for the lucrative television money that the Premier League now gets. Total 100% greed. Call me old fashioned but I would rather see Dundee versus Ayr United than Dundee versus Fleetwood Town. I do not mean what I said to be disrespectful but no doubt the Fleetwood fans would think and feel the same as I do.
My feeling to any mention of such a merger is that it is all one way talk and it originates from Glasgow. I would love to hear the views of the Palace fans on this matter though. Maybe I am wrong and they would love to see these two teams or more from across the border joining but for some reason I cannot see that being the case.
In a nutshell, any cross border moves will never get past the rumours section in the media. Apart from the Glasgow two, no Scottish clubs want to move and vice versa with English teams.
