Sunday, October 30, 2011

Patience could deliver Old Firm to England

 Rangers and Celtic could set up grassroots proxies south of the Border and gradually climb the English football pyramid in order to realise their Premier League dreams, writes Stewart Fisher.

THOSE who conclude that Celtic and Rangers colours could never adorn the Barclays Premier League tend to forget one simplistic yet potentially rather startling detail: that in theory there is nothing to stop any interested private individuals or supporters grouping starting up a new team or affiliate in the English league system tomorrow if they wanted to.

The cases of FC United of Manchester and AFC Wimbledon, the latter having worked its way from scratch right back up to npower League Two, merely illustrate that the pyramid system that exists south of the Border can still offer a land of opportunity rather than a closed shop.

Sunday Herald
30 Oct 2011