Celtic's problem - along with Rangers - is that they are so hellbent and preoccupied on getting one over on each other that they fail to look at the bigger picture.
If one is doing appallingly sh*t and in the nether regions of Scottish football, the other decides to stay in limbo, failing to develop a squad or devise any coherent plan to get the club as a consistent competitor on the European stage. An attitude that is merely so because 'the other one's not much good' so they can have room for complacency and still win the league - this goes on ad infinitum over the years. The only reason Celtic hired Brendan was because Rangers were potentially looking handy under Mark Warburton - Deila would probably have still been in charge if Rangers were still ballsing things up in the lower divisions.
It's frankly such an obsession that any proposal to enter the English leagues will be swatted away from the fans. The chances of higher revenues, signing better players and greater competition, along with the chance to test yourself against the best talents in the UK, is redundant in the idea of both sets of supporters who revel in their 'big fish, small pond' status. The iffy stance they take with regards to a chance to play in the English division means it is not beyond reason to suggest that both clubs merely exist to get the better of one another, as opposed to much greater aspirations.
Neither sets of supporters could ever come to terms with just being another big club amongst many other big clubs - they love being the centre of attention and can't bear the thought of that being taken away, but put them in a real competition and their narrow minded obsessions would suddenly start to look incredibly trivial and pathetic in all honesty. It would more often than not look like two bald men fighting over a comb.
There's absolutely no foresight or innovation to look at the wider scheme of things. Both clubs are trapped in their own secluded, isolated mindsets (not helped by the luddites of other SPL clubs) maintaining a feeling of superiority that is severely misguided. If a Premier League rivalry is seen as tantamount to a heavyweight boxing clash akin to Muhammed Ali v Joe Frazier, then Celtic v Rangers at this moment is merely two lumpen drunkards glassing each other in pub on a Saturday night.
Quite frankly, if these supporters think they've got the balls to act all big and hard, then they would put their money where their mouth is and actively seek to enter the big leagues. I wish to see both clubs competing in England - both clubs have a secure fanbase and the infrastructure to actually make a decent long term plan for their futures. But it could also potentially dilute the vitriol that an Old Firm creates as both clubs merely compete in their first phases of English football for mid table or lower division mediocrity. It might bring a bit of humility to both clubs and provide them with a rude awakening that the world doesn't actually revolve around their hatred for each other. And with that sense of self-importance stamped upon, the authorities - knowing that England is made up of anything but two horse races - could also deal much more harshly to any sectarian bigotry (e.g. points deduction, massive fines) without fear of it spoiling the competition.
« Last Edit: Sep 14, 2016 11:10:04 pm by Son Of A Gun »
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