Features

Old Firm rivals fail to prosper

Author: John Harris
Date: 29/10/2009
Football betting

As the arguments rumble on as to whether or not Glasgow giants Rangers and Celtic should be admitted to the Premier League, perhaps the dismal starts to their European campaigns this season would suggest for their sakes that the move would not be in their best interests.

Rangers have picked up just a single point from their opening three Champions League games and Celtic, in the Europa League, are following a similar pattern. They have a solitary point at the midway stage of their group and both need a miracle to progress.

Rangers lost to Romanian minnows Unirea Urziceni 4-1 at Ibrox last week and Celtic were humbled 1-0 at home to Hamburg to further highlight their deficiencies.

Can Rangers miraculously overcome all the odds and win the Champions League this term? - Latest Football Betting

So why do these two teams continually struggle on the continent compared to their rivals just a few hundred miles down the road?

With Premier League money being distributed to England's elite clubs, the SPL's big two only receive a very small fraction of that amount.

Many argue that with the £50million they could make in England each season, the Scottish giants could flourish south of the border with their huge fanatical backing both at home and across the globe.

As things stand, they cannot compete on the continent.

Manchester United have won their first three Champions League games and Chelsea are matching them while Arsenal sit top of their group and only Liverpool are faltering.

English outfits, who once again are among the online favourites to triumph in the Champions League, have featured in the last five Finals with Liverpool winning in 2005 and Manchester United overcoming Chelsea in 2008.

Rangers or Celtic have never stamped their authority on the competition since its restructuring in 1992.

In a game where money talks, this notion has never been felt more than now.

In comparison, Celtic have a forward line that consists of Georgios Samaras, a striker surplus to requirements at Manchester City, and Scott McDonald, who failed to make the grade in England with Southampton and Wimbledon.

Rangers can parade the ineffective pint-sized Nacho Novo, Kris Boyd, who is prolific in Scottish football but untried elsewhere, and Kenny Miller, a proven scorer at Championship level but a mediocre Premier League man.

Manchester United have Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, Chelsea possess Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, Arsenal boast Robin van Persie and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is a genuine world-class talent.

For the big two in Scotland to challenge in Europe, surely now is the time to seek a switch to the Premier League.

BET NOW