‘I would love that’ – Craig Levein expresses support for Rangers and Celtic playing in England
Hearts manager Craig Levein has claimed that he would “love” to see Rangers and Celtic compete in the English Premier League.
The prospect of the Old Firm making a move south of the border has been discussed for some time now, with Andy Gray among the most recent proponents of the switch.
And Levein has expressed his support for the plan, citing the extra competitiveness it would bring to the Scottish game.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, he said: “Until both of the Old Firm teams leave and go down to England – with my best wishes – then we are not going to have a competitive league.
“I would love that [to sign off on their move], absolutely. I would let them go. They would have to pay a hefty price to go, mind.
“In Scotland, if the Old Firm were playing in the English Premier League, you tell me who would win the league up here? Or how many teams would be capable? The rest, absolutely.
“And not only that, with the extra money the teams can get better and do well in Europe as well.”
What can we make of Levein’s comments?
On the face of it, the Hearts boss’ argument is pretty open and shut.
He’s right in the sense that if you take the two biggest teams out of the league other clubs would have the chance to be successful, but it could also lead to marked drop off in interest in the Scottish game too.
If that were to happen then the chances are that revenue would also decrease, and it would become more difficult for those sides to compete on a continental level.
Winning a league alone is no guarantee of European success.
What is more, it wouldn’t be as easy as simply transplanting the Old Firm into the top flight.
As pointed out by Richard Keys during a conversation with Gray, the constitution of the Premier League means that it would be more likely that the Ibrox club would be co-opted into the Championship first.
The second tier is, in its own way, one of the hardest in Europe, and there would be no guarantees of instant success.
Would the Gers trade challenging for silverware every season for a gruelling slog in the upper reaches of the English second division?
Very probably not.
In other Rangers news, Leon Balogun has started life in Glasgow brilliantly.