Liverpool icon Sir Kenny Dalglish has admitted that he isn’t opposed to the idea of Rangers and Celtic moving to England after the collapse of the ESL – but insists the Old Firm should start in League Two rather than being parachuted into the top two tiers of English football.
Dalglish, also a non-executive director at Anfield, is confident Rangers and Celtic could compete with the top clubs in England given the same resources, however, he thinks there should be “due process” in admitting the Old Firm into the English system.
With revamps of domestic and continental competitions seeming to be high on the agenda, Dalglish thinks sporting merit should be the main determining factor in which league a club plays in – admitting that it might contradict his club’s stance.
He does doubt whether there is much appetite from English clubs to admit the Old Firm though with the proposals coming and going over the last 20 years.
“In the days since the ESL collapsed, there has been more talk of new league structures, only this time it’s not with any ESL, but a new British league set-up,” Dalglish told the Sunday Post.
“The chat has mentioned there could be a place for Rangers and Celtic in any new structure.
“Now, I have no problem with that because I think the Old Firm would do really well in it.
“Given the same financial resources as many of the other clubs, I believe they’d comfortably be in the top half of any British league every season.
“They both have brilliant fan bases, and they would be successful.
“But I do think they’d need to compete to get the rewards.
“I’m not sure about parachuting them straight into the English Premier League, or the Championship.
“Surely there would need to be a due process?
“Surely, they’d need to start in League Two, and work their way up through the divisions?
“People will rightly ask if that is not a contradiction of what was proposed in the setting-up of the ESL?
“Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, I believe all clubs need to earn the right to success.
“We have been here before with all of this talk of the Old Firm moving to England.
“I honestly don’t know if the top English clubs really want Rangers and Celtic in any new set-up.
“It’s been mentioned for more than 20 years, but has never got off the ground.
“However, maybe it is going to be different this time? Maybe the winds of change are coming?”
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