In light of the current fall into administration of Glasgow Rangers into administration (essentially Chapter 11 for my American cousins), most of the Celtic fans have decided it is time for ‘jelly and ice cream’. This is a reference to a child’s favorite treat when celebrating a birthday, and in my mind it is a childish viewpoint. Obviously the first reaction is GIRUY (or they got what they deserved, especially after all of Celtic’s previous issues), but when the cold light of reality hits, it’s plain to see why Celtic and Scottish football need a healthy RFC.
Firstly, the other Scottish teams need the revenue that the Old Firm bring to the game. For home games, the Old Firm are in FIFA’s rich list. They are in the top 20 of soccer clubs around the world for home gate receipts, so any share that the likes of Kilmarnock, Motherwell, et al get is necessary for them to survive (Dunfermline are concerned they get heir £80k from a recent Ibrox game because of the administration). The chief executive of Motherwell, Leanne Dempster, recently stated in an interview that all the SPL teams need each other, collectively, to survive and grow, and anyone who says otherwise is ‘a liar’.
Next the Scottish national team, and their reliance on a strong Old Firm. In the last competitive game (a 3-1 loss in Spain), 5 players had direct links with Rangers (McGregor, Naismith, Adam, Hutton, Bardsley) and 2 with Celtic (Caldwell, Forrest), or 50% of the players who took the field. The last U21 game (a 2-1 win in the Netherlands) included 5 Old Firm players. The national team always needed local homegrown talent.
And finally, Celtic. According to this report, you can plainly see that for Celtic to make a profit, they need to do well in Europe, for which they need a strong squad and money to pay this squad. Now, the best and easiest way to do well in Europe is to
