Soccer: Old Firm are not joining us, say Premier League

The Premier League today attempted to play down increasing speculation that Celtic and Rangers are on the brink of switching to the English league.

Glasgow’s Old Firm are keen to maximise their potential on and off the pitch by quitting the Scottish domestic game, in which they have split the championship without interruption since 1985.

Both Celtic and Rangers are believed to have held informal talks with executives from some of England’s top clubs about the viability of the Premiership soaking up two more teams, possibly resulting in the creation of Premier League Two.

But Premier League officials are playing down the possibility of such a move ever coming to fruition, and today they insisted they had not had any contact with either of the Scottish giants.

Premier League spokesman Philip French said: ‘‘Celtic and Rangers are not joining the FA Premier League. There are no plans to change the current structure and no discussions are taking place.’’

Both Celtic and Rangers are hopeful that by incorporating them into a reduced 16-team Premier League top flight and giving lower clubs the welcome parachute of a second tier, they would be able to garner enough votes amongst Premiership chairmen to move into the new set-up, possibly as early as the start of the 2004-5 season.

But it remains hard to envisage clubs like Southampton and Derby voting a move which would not only put their top-flight status in danger but also effectively end their outside hopes of ever landing a UEFA Cup berth.

And the Football Association would no doubt require assurances from UEFA that such a move would not jeopardise the existence of the four separate British international teams before they rubber-stamped such a move.

But that will not stop powerful figures inside the Old Firm from championing their bid to join the English league.

Celtic plc chairman Brian Quinn and manager Martin O’Neill have been backed by Rangers chief David Murray and boss Dick Advocaat.

Both clubs are aware that a move south would be financially more rewarding with Bradford City receiving four times as much revenue from television as Celtic’s £2million income - even though they were relegated to Division One.

Quinn insists that informal discussions have already taken place over the possibility with very positive feedback from England.

‘‘I have said publicly in the past that I see people all the time in England,’’ Quinn told BBC Radio Scotland.

‘‘Nothing formal. There have been no structured meetings but I meet chairmen and chief executives in England and Scotland.

‘‘I would say that without exception the people I have spoken to in the English Premier League relish the idea of Celtic and Rangers coming to join them in some way.

‘‘My personal view is that things are certainly going to change in British football not just in Scotland but in England too.

‘‘There is quite a lot of thinking about the restructuring of both of the top leagues in Scotland and England.

‘‘Celtic and Rangers will certainly be present whenever that decision is finally made.’’

He admitted that it is still too ‘‘premature’’ to approach the game’s governing bodies but is confident that they will willingly receive the proposal.

‘‘The line we should go to UEFA and FIFA with is a solution rather than a problem,’’ said Quinn.

‘‘Perhaps it will take two or three years but our job is to go to UEFA and say this is a solution to a problem we think is pressing and we would like your blessing to do so.’’

Celtic supremo Dermot Desmond also believes it is ‘‘inevitable’’ that the Old Firm will be playing in the English Premiership soon.

Rangers chairman Murray is in favour of a move and went as far as to predict the death knell for up to a quarter of Scottish clubs in the next few years.

Airdrie, Morton and Clydebank are just three small teams who have struggled to stay afloat in recent seasons.

But the Ibrox supremo said recently: ‘‘It is hard when you look at the balance sheets of between eight and 10 football clubs, who, if they were a normal business, would be out of business.’’

‘‘If you were to do a financial analysis on Scottish football as a business, it is basically bankrupt, that is the fact of the matter.

‘‘Rangers and Celtic can become successful and retain that success because we have the ability to raise money through a variety of ways.

‘‘How does a smaller club raise that money? Basically, there is no way out of it unless someone is prepared to come in, like Jack Walker at Blackburn, and resurrect a club for different reasons other than financial prudence.

‘‘You wouldn’t run a football club at the bottom end if it was down to financial prudence.’’