Could Rangers really go to England?

[ZZed 4,558]

I think that the thing that has stopped it before is two fold; one it was assumed that the top league or the Championship was where we wanted to be, Two was if we came, so did Celtic and the appetite for a team that boos the Queen and the national anthem and is viewed as an anti-British club is small in England. The football people in England know what Rangers and Celtic are and where their fans allegiances lie. I don’t think that Rangers will have many difficulties going to England now but Celtic may. We can exit Scotland as we are associate members of the football league not full members and with each day the log of bias against us builds.

What is stopping us playing in England? To those who say that only Welsh teams play in England, I offer up the following of Scottish teams who have played in England in the FA CUP and still exist. To play in the FA Cup you had to be a member of the FA.

Hearts of Midlothian

30 October 1886

Queens Park

30 October 1886

Partick Thistle

30 October 1886, 21 November 1886, 4 December 1886, 29 January 1887

Rangers

30 October 1886, 21 November 1886, 4 December 1886, 29 January 1887, 19 February 1887, 5 March 1887 (Semi-Finals)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1886%E2%80%9387_FA_Cup

So historically it has been done by us and others in Scotland but could it happen again. Mr Charles Green appears to be thinking that a move to England may be the only way to get Rangers a fair playing ground. And the final prize is so much bigger!

He will know people in English football and at the FA I am sure he is sending out feelers to gauge the mood in England for Rangers moving in to one of the English divisions, but we should not assume it will be higher that league 2 and I personally think it will be Blues Square Premiership and no lower. The reason that I think this is because below that level the clubs are semi professional, almost broke and some of them can not afford the step up to the BSP because of travel costs. The league 2 clubs will not want a club that would mean their relegation in to the BSP but Rangers in the BSP is one season away from a big payday for them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_league_system

What do Rangers bring to the party? Exposure, massive interest and bums on seats. But Rangers bring more than that; they bring advertisers, TV and the money that goes with it. They fill grounds and have a large support in England that will turn out even in the farthest point from Glasgow.

Over to you Mr Green, you have the historical argument, you have the league to put us in and you can point to the long list of bias against us to work with and to convince the powers that be.

Let us move to bigger leagues, bigger teams, bigger prizes and not just one team that can push us but several. It may take us 5 years to be on the brink of the Premiership but that journey is worth taking.

[Sweeney 241]

They don't want us. End of story. Sick of these stupid threads raising the same stupid points as if being raised for the first time. They don't want us. If Uefa granted it, if FIFA granted it, if the SFA and FA grant it, it still will not change the fact that they don't want us.

England operate a pyrimid structure meaning any team at any level can make it to the premiership given the right quality. So unless we were to start at the very bottom, and no I don't mean the conference I mean non league/junior football, then there will alway be teams oposed to it as we will have skipped them. No matter how small the teams are, believe me the press will milk it and it will not be allowed to happen. Unless we skip nobody and start at the absolute root, it's not possible. A 3 year journey is child's play compared to what we would have to face. We wouldn't even make the conference in 3 years. Easily looking about 10-15 years before we get anywhere near the championship let alone the premiership.

[cushynumber 25,178]

The last time this was brought up was Boltons proposal in 2009 was for the premier League. It was a simple vote of PL clubs as follows:

Premier League clubs today overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to allow Celtic and Rangers to join the English top flight.

A proposal by the Bolton chairman, Phil Gartside, to include the Old Firm clubs was rejected as neither "desirable or viable". Fourteen clubs are understood to have voted against the proposal.

Other suggestions put forward by Gartside, including having a two-tier Premier League, will be fed into the league's ongoing strategic review.Premier Le

The Premier League said in a statement: "Bolton Wanderers submitted a discussion paper detailing ideas concerning the restructuring of the Premier League into two tiers with the inclusion of Celtic and Rangers.

"The clubs welcomed the additional input into an ongoing process, however, they were of the opinion that bringing Celtic and Rangers into any form of Premier League set-up was not desirable or viable.

I see no real reason why this same vote cannot be attempted by the lower english divisions as we wouldn't ask (presumably ) to go into the top flight. This would be simialair to the way the SFL voted us into the 3rd Division. As the poster has suggested and has been catagorically shown in the last 6 months, we can do a lot of good for the lower divisions in terms of revenue and as the SPL/SFL clubs have shown us - its all about the money.

[WillWard 6]

Short answer: No.

[govanblue 16,847]

Short answer: No.

Slightly longer answer: Yes

[El Carpintero 546]

No, not a chance. It is deluded to think we could.

[AlBear. 8,499]

"They don't want us?"

They don't want a club that can fill a 50,000 seater stadium in the fourth tier of Scottish football? Do me a favour. If we stick to our guns, remain strong in our convictions we will get a move to another league. We bring guarenteed money from a loyal supporter base, glory unmatched by any club in the world. We have a lot to give, now the question is, Who's going to be the lucky league to get us?

Some people want us to believe no one wants us, they want to keep us down because that's where they like us. Time to stand up and really fight back, not just talk about it..

[ZZed 4,558]

They don't want us. End of story. Sick of these stupid threads raising the same stupid points as if being raised for the first time. They don't want us. If Uefa granted it, if FIFA granted it, if the SFA and FA grant it, it still will not change the fact that they don't want us.

England operate a pyrimid structure meaning any team at any level can make it to the premiership given the right quality. So unless we were to start at the very bottom, and no I don't mean the conference I mean non league/junior football, then there will alway be teams oposed to it as we will have skipped them. No matter how small the teams are, believe me the press will milk it and it will not be allowed to happen. Unless we skip nobody and start at the absolute root, it's not possible. A 3 year journey is child's play compared to what we would have to face. We wouldn't even make the conference in 3 years. Easily looking about 10-15 years before we get anywhere near the championship let alone the premiership.

Actually this is not true as several clubs have been formed and have not started in the very bottom level and several clubs have refused promotion as well. And if you look close you will see leagues with an odd number. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_league_system

[loyalfollower 1,543]

Anything is possible, you would have to think that potential income from visiting rangers fans, would count for alot.

On the tv side of it it's like a battle of Britain every week for the 1st season until that wears off.

Whatever level we were accepted at, then these clubs are guaranteed tv income. Alot of them only get on tv through cup games. And then all local areas businesses would be in for a big cash boost.

Everyone thought Charles wouldnt reach 20 million in the share issue. Im not saying it will happen but with Charles as CEO I wouldnt rule it out.

[El Carpintero 546]

Anything is possible, you would have to think that potential income from visiting rangers fans, would count for alot.

On the tv side of it it's like a battle of Britain every week for the 1st season until that wears off.

Whatever level we were accepted at, then these clubs are guaranteed tv income. Alot of them only get on tv through cup games. And then all local areas businesses would be in for a big cash boost.

Everyone thought Charles wouldnt reach 20 million in the share issue. Im not saying it will happen but with Charles as CEO I wouldnt rule it out.

It really doesn't not even in our own country.

[DerekJohnstone 1,210]

To be honest C**t*c have a massive support in Manchester & Liverpool, where as we seem to be favoured in the south. The English teams are not going to give up the golden goose to allow us to enter when they can get up to £50m for being relegated. The Arsenals and Tottenhams of this world would probably embrace it, but try telling the other 14 diddy teams.

[The Godfather 75,508]

If we could move do you all not think we would have done it years ago when the money in Scotland dried up?

There is a reason we are still here and it won't change anytime soon unfortunately.

[SpidermansGaffer 2,552]

In my humble opinion - the smaller teams in the higher English divisions (championship & premiership) wouldn't want us there as they would be at risk of losing their place in the league and the financial hardship it brings.

On the other hand, the majority of finance pumped into English football is from Sky as we all know. Do you really think that they wouldn't want Rangers and that other mob in the top leagues??

The interest it would generate globally would be staggering.

It would also suit Scottish football too, taking Rangers and celtic out of the present league set up leaves them with 2 divisions of 20 clubs. Much more watchable for the diddy teams fans.

[eosmhdo 1,879]

Slightly longer answer: Yes

Even longer, maybe.

[AlBear. 8,499]

Football in the 21st century is all about money.

Rangers are guaranteed money to any league.

It's not as far fetched as some people want us to believe.

[chris182 6,520]

Not a chance we'll play in England

[nachothelegend 1,932]

If there is a Will there's a way.

Get it done.

[worcesterloyal 114]

Sky could have the final say on this

[elephants stoned 2,994]

If its going to happen it has to happen soon, we are being marginalised here and are now being used as a money pit for all the diddys to feed off, if we dont get out soon we will be stuck here for god knows how long.

[linfield1690 4,249]

Not a chance we'll play in England

ok cheers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZ_aRbCT7A

[gersandy 594]

It is possible. But we'd have to start from the VERY bottom. I dont mean league 2, or the conference leagues. Im talking about the bottom of the ryman league system. Potentially a decade away from the english league proper.

It would mean playing no better that pub teams.

I'd love to see it happen though. Knowing one day, we might be playing the likes of arsenal and chelsea week in, week out.

[JohnHardie 1,405]

There's no harm in trying. It's now or never for us to get the fuck out this corrupt system.

[Uncle Fester 186]

No, not a chance. It is deluded to think we could.

I'm not so sure, Rangers are former members of the FA who would have to come up with a credible reason for a refusal. I remember Scudamore saying the Welsh clubs are a historical exception when asked about Rangers and "them" joining the Premier League, what and were not? Try defending that in any court.

[King Jela 21,526]

There's not a chance we'll ever be playing in England. It's deluded to think otherwise, they don't want us or need us.

[Thermopylae 15,288]

I sometimes wonder if even the big clubs down south are a little wary of letting a new team into their league that can get 50,000 supporters in the 4th tier of Scottish football ... it really doesn't take much imagination at all to see what such a club could become if they were suddenly to find themselves in the promised land of the EPL.

Ultimately though they will only invite us (and them) in if it benefits them and other than helping to sell the game in North America to people of Scots and Irish descent I can't really see why they would need us