Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has claimed that he’s heard suggestions the Gers and Old Firm rivals Celtic could field B teams in the Scottish league if they were to join a British Super League.
Rangers and Celtic have both pushed for B teams to be allowed to enter the SPFL and aid the development of their best young players – although clubs have so far opposed the moves.
McLeish admits that the Old Firm would be playing catch-up against the English sides but is confident they’d be able to close the gap with the resources at their disposal.
However, a lack of any clarity on the specifics of what the move would look like and details like whether they would have to give up their memberhship of the Scottish FA.
“If Celtic and Rangers were to get into those elite leagues, they would play catch-up in the beginning — but they have the resources to do that,” McLeish said, speaking to the Scottish Sun.
“The question is whether the Old Firm would be obliged to leave Scotland altogether?
“It would seem harsh for them to walk away without leaving some kind of base in place here.
“Would it be a B team or something similar? I’ve heard that mooted.
“The Old Firm walking away from Scotland would make it difficult for other clubs — but at the same time it gives them a chance to say, ‘We can win this league now’.
“If Hearts or Hibs were to win the title would their fans say, ‘Oh, I wish we had Rangers and Celtic back’?
“If there was another league without Rangers and Celtic, then you would want to try and maintain performance level and quality.
“If you have a young player you want to develop, then endless hours of drills isn’t the way to improve him.
“The best way is by playing high-level football, but the European scene is becoming elitist.”
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