Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Hearts two new USA players, striker and midfielder look like great signings........both free to a good home.
Hearts v Rangers
- Thread starter Doon frae Troon
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D
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This genuinely is not intended as a dig!
Having followed football since late 50's when the standard seemed pretty comparable either side of the border but getting little opportunity to see Scottish clubs other than Celtic in the CL I watched this game last night.
Based upon league positions these are two of the best sides in Scotland but I have to say the standard amazed me, I follow a club in the English Championship and would have to say that, from what I saw, neither Hearts nor Rangers would cut it in that league.
What I am asking was last night a one-off or typical of current day top Scottish club football? I appreciate the difference in financial strength between the EPL and the SPL but I am talking about the second tier of English football.
Has Scottish football really fallen that far?
Having followed football since late 50's when the standard seemed pretty comparable either side of the border but getting little opportunity to see Scottish clubs other than Celtic in the CL I watched this game last night.
Based upon league positions these are two of the best sides in Scotland but I have to say the standard amazed me, I follow a club in the English Championship and would have to say that, from what I saw, neither Hearts nor Rangers would cut it in that league.
What I am asking was last night a one-off or typical of current day top Scottish club football? I appreciate the difference in financial strength between the EPL and the SPL but I am talking about the second tier of English football.
Has Scottish football really fallen that far?
ger147
Tour Winner
I think you might be underestimating the financial differences between the SPFL and the Championship.
Celtic apart, no-one else in Scotland can get anywhere near the wages on offer in the Championship. The bigger SPFL clubs like Aberdeen, Hearts etc. are now competing with League 1 clubs financially for players and the wages they can pay.
Rangers are in a particularly tricky situation at the moment with the crooks that were in charge selling everything not screwed down to Ashley for basically nothing, the most recent example to come to light was Ashley getting a 10 year agreement to take over the Rangers club store at Ibrox for £10 i.e. £1 a year.
In summary, yes it really has fallen that far...
D
Deleted member 18588
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Clearly I hadn't realised the difference was so great, the money that Celtic will receive from the CL will surely help them but widen the gap between them and the remainder of Scotland.
As for dodgy dealings I know all about that, I am a Birmingham City supporter. If you don't already know about him Google Carson Yeung.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Fair assessment ....as Ger says money counts and within the UK, Bournemouth with a ground capacity of 11,000 are considerably richer than Celtic with a ground capacity 60,000.
The BBC spends more money on Gary Linecar's contract than their entire coverage of Scottish football.
BT Sport are at least giving Scotland some coverage, even though they are paying a pittance for it.
Not a flat playing field.
If you look at the record of Scottish clubs v English Clubs in European Competition you may see a closer comparison.
Celtic v Man City is an example, plus a very young Hearts team being the only club in the whole wide world to take a point against Spurs at home two or three years ago. Liverpool also really struggled against a young Hearts the following year.
Hearts v Rangers was a good game. Both sides going for a win and nae tippy tappy stuff.:lol:
D
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Supply and demand
Some of the best players in the world play in the Prem and people all over the world want to watch those players - the whole world doesn't want to watch Scottish Prem
It's nonsense to use one of games years ago as some marker to suggest the standard is closer when it's not - it clearly isn't.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
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I agree that there was an element of excitement but the standard of the football was pretty poor.
However, as with anything, you get what you pay for and if Scottish clubs are so financially constrained I suppose it has to be accepted. It's just not how I remember it.
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
It's painful how far our game has fallen. There's much more to it than this but the stupid money in English football has been quite detrimental to ours.
D
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Makes zero difference - it's still one off games , Barce got beat the other day by a lowly team , does that make the gap between the two smaller ? Bayern got beat by a Ukraine team - does that mean the two leagues are closer
No it's one off games - right now the top team in Scotland would do well to reach the play offs in the Championship
The gap between the two leagues is not close
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
From the highlights I watched I thought it was pretty darned good - for a Scottish football match.
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
Absolute tosh. The top team in Scotland would horse half the Premiership week in week out.
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FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Didn't they draw with one of the favourites to win the PL?
I don't agree they'd horse half the premiership but they'd hold their own and wouldn't be relegated. The rest of our teams, however, would struggle!
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
I would certainly agree with that.
Rodgers is making some astute signings, keeping faith in the young players and building a good team.
Surprised that the League Cup was his first ever trophy as a manager.
D
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They would perhaps just avoid the drop although I would have to fear for any team that still uses Leigh Griffiths.
As for the rest they would struggle to survive in the Championship, after all I know who is manager of Killie.
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Celtic would easily hold their own in the PL. Whether they could get top 4 or even Europa League (and surely their fans crave/expect European football on a regular basis) is a different argument. I think they'll struggle to hold onto Dembele but Rodgers does seem to slowly be building a reasonable squad
D
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Don't watch much Scottish football then Homer?
D
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Sorry but not in a million years for me - there is prob one Prem Standard player - Dembele and even he arrived from a champ club. Looking at the squad it just says Championship players with one or two like Tierny having potential.
They would no doubt attract better players down in the English so would get to the Prem at some stage
Only what little we get fed down here. Look at the dross in the lower quarter of the PL and Celtic would be good enough to beat those sides week in week out. It's whether they could compete for trophies that would be the issue. As it stands, they are head and shoulders above anything else in the SPL and the longer that carries on the worse they'll be on a European stage without regular competition to test them
