Old Firm

1:2
1 : 0 Theo Walcott 18.
1 : 1 Florent Malouda 33.
1 : 2 Didier Drogba 84.

Drogba ist echt ein Beast unter Hiddink

Zitat von K-Ranger

FT Hansa Rostock [3 - 1] Oberhausen
21' [1 - 0] M. Fillinger
29' [1 - 1] T. Reichert
40' [2 - 1] K. Schindler
55' [3 - 1] E. Kern

Zachhubers neue Bilanz: Im 5. Spiel seit Amtsantritt ungeschlagen, 11 Punkte aus 5 Spielen. Besser gehts mit der Ausgangslage kaum. Darunter Kaliber wie Fürth und "FSV Frankfurt" immerhin die drittbeste Rückrundenmannschaft geschlagen. Osnabrück hat verloren somit Rangtausch rauf auf 15.

ja ich bin mehr als begeistert.Zacher ist immer noch ungeschlagen und endlich ist ein Ruck durch die Mannschaft gegangen!

Football bosses plan two Premier Leagues in revolution of the English game

EXCLUSIVE by Paul Smith 18/04/2009
Premier League to split?

Plans for a Premier League second division that would revolutionise English football have been drawn up.

Bolton’s Phil Gartside, one of the longest-serving chairmen in the top flight and an influential member of the Football Association’s board, has put together a blueprint that is being circulated among key figures within the game.

They include the current Premier League chairman Dave Richards, who sees merit in the proposals.

Sunday Mirror Sport has been given a full briefing on the document, which is being backed by at least seven Premier League clubs as well as key Football League clubs who are keen to be part of the new breakaway.

A prominent Championship chairman, whose club have been in the Premier League, said: “Given the severe financial restraints in the Football League it would be madness not to consider the proposals.

“The considerable wealth of Premier League clubs shows no sign of subsiding.

“The Football League clubs are poor by comparison.”

Gartside’s blueprint proposes two Premier League divisions, each of 18 teams.

There would be promotion and relegation of two clubs between the divisions.

There would also be one club relegated from Premier League 2 to be replaced by a club from the Football League.

Perhaps most controversial of all is the idea of inviting two Scottish clubs to join Premier League 2. The clubs are not named but would be Glasgow giants Rangers and Celtic.

In the past, both Scottish clubs have expressed a wish to join the English Premier League bandwagon. With the top flight reduced from 20 clubs, there’s also a proposal for a winter break.

And in a move that will alarm the FA and Football League - who have their own knock-out competitions – there would be the introduction of a new Premier League knock-out cup.

Gartside would like the 36 clubs to review wage control policies. This is an area that concerns smaller clubs such as Bolton, but is much less of an issue to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.

Gartside has been working on the project, and sounding out key associates, for almost four months. He has attempted to fine-tune his proposal before it is formally discussed at a Premier League shareholders meeting by the 20 current clubs. However, Gartside and his supporters will have to overcome a number of key issues to see the revolutionary plan come to fruition.

Fourteen Premier League clubs will have to vote in favour of the proposal to get the project up and running. The FA, who backed the formation of the original Premier League, would then have to support it.

More importantly, the Football League, who could demand massive compensation, would have to relinquish their rights to oppose the project.

The top four Premier League clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are likely to vote against such the change. That’s why the Gartside blueprint states that there will be no change to the current distribution of funds.

But the big four would need three other rivals to back them to ensure the plan is vetoed.

And the financial security on offer to the clubs who are never going to break into the exclusive top level of the Premier League will be attractive. Asked to comment on our revelations last night, a Premier League spokesman would only say: “We haven’t seen any proposal and therefore are unable to comment.”

The arrival of Rangers and Celtic, allied to a new TV deal, would undoubtedly increase revenue for the English clubs.

Presently the Premier League make parachute payments to relegated clubs of £11.5m a season for two seasons if they fail to bounce back in those seasons.

This season the PL is paying £69m in parachute payments.

That figure would be drastically reduced under the new scheme. A reduced payment would be made to the single club heading into the Football League.

Mirror

Diese Medaille hätte natürlich 2 Seiten:

Eine Seite ist das Geld & langfristig wieder international in der Weltklasse!

Die andere allerdings sind weniger Titel, verlorene Tradition & komische gefühl wenn man international punkte holte und diese an england gehen Außerdem wäre der Druck am anfang groß schneller als celtic in die top2 zu kommen, aber ich glaube für dieses ziel würden beide old firms sofort tief in die tasche greifen um so schnell wie möglich aufzusteigen!

Wieso nicht gleich eine Britische Liga mit den besten Teams aus Nordirland, Wales & Schottland??? Zusätzlich england dabei wäre natürlich ein wahnsinn aber die haben ohnehin schon genug geld!

So oder so, wird so schnell nicht passieren & vor allem die Uefa wird ja wohl auch ein wörtchen mitreden oder?

Ich bin nach wie vor dagegen. Man soll in seinem Heimatland spielen. Punkt, Ende, Aus.

Das Spiel war von Armseligkeit kaum zu übertreffen....schrecklich.

£1OOM

ENGLAND WANT BIG TWO

Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has demanded the Old Firm pay a £100 million entry fee to join the most lucrative club in world football.

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside will table a revolutionary proposal this week for Celtic and Rangers to be offered a sensational move into the English Premier League.

Gartside will present his plans for a Premiership 1 and 2 at a meeting of English top-flight clubs on Thursday.

He has spent months in discussions and drawing up a blueprint for two divisions of 18 clubs, with Scotland's big two handed an invite to the lower tier.

There would be two up and two down each season between the new Premiership set-ups, with one up and one down between Premier League 2 and the Football League.

Gartside's plans are said to have the support of at least seven Premier League clubs, with key Football League outfits keen on the breakaway.The Old Firm are making no comment at this stage but it's understoodtheyconsider Gartside's plan an exciting development on a idea that has been mooted for years.

Significantly, this is the first time the idea has been proposed by English clubs themselves as they believe the Old Firm would generate additional enthusiasm from broadcasters that would help tackle the financial shortfall arising from an extension of the Premier League from 20 clubs to 36.

Championship side Palace could benefit from the proposed changes but outspoken chairman Jordan claims the Old Firm should face a collective entry tax, not least because they still need English football more than it needs them.

He said: "Football is evolving all the time and this would be great for the Scottish clubs but they should pay to come down.

"They should not have a God given right to walk into English football and displace two other teams and there should be a renumeration level set.

"I'd suggest £100m and the immediate financial benefits that arise for both clubs would soon cover it.

"Their share price would go through the ceiling on the back of massive revenue increases.The SPL does not attract a worldwide audience - the Premiership does.

"It would be a great thing for Celtic and Rangers but the Old Firm would not add enormously to the levels of interest in a league that's already massively exposed.

"A lot of people will object to the idea but I'm not one of them. It would be good for British football.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen but it's still a long way off as no deals can be done until the next round of talks with broadcasters, scheduled for 2013."

The Old Firm would have to pay something towards the Scottish clubs left behind and would baulk at the figure demanded by Jordan.

Gartside refused to comment on his proposals which come at a time when the credit crunch and recession are hitting even the biggest clubs hard.

Outfits such as Bolton want a softer landing than the Championship if they are relegated.

In recent seasons former Premiership clubs such as Charlton, Leeds, Leicester, Norwich and Southampton have all struggled after dropping out of the top tier.

The Premier League makes parachute payments of £11.5 million a season for two seasons to clubs who fail to bounce back at the first attempt.

A smaller Premiership would also find favour with managers of powerhouses such as Man United,Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal as it would give them more time to prepare between games.

Gartside needs support from at least 14 Premiership clubs for his plans to develop beyond the drawing board.

He still has some work to do to persuade the owners of the top four of the merits of his scheme,especially as it's likely to lead to a reduction in their incomes.

The SPL gave the idea a cool response and operations director Iain Blair said: "No plan has been brought forward to us so it's too early to comment.

"Anything of that nature would require the approval of the Scottish and English leagues as well as the SFA, FA,UEFA and FIFA."

DR

An Interesting Concept

By Andrew Dickson

ALLY McCOIST admits he's keen on proposals to move the Old Firm to a revised Premiership - as long as they can stay involved in Scottish football too.

Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside has suggested revamping the English top flight into two divisions, with Rangers and Celtic being introduced in the second tier.

His plan has prompted a mixed reaction, as is usually the case when the idea of Glasgow's big two going south is brought up.

But McCoist sees it as a positive, so long as Gers are allowed to retain some sort of interest in competitions north of the border as well.

He said: "I can only give you my opinion on the subject and I don't know much about it but the concept looks interesting and I certainly think it's worth talking about.

"I have to be honest and say there would probably be more negative reaction to it from down south than positive.

"There might be some clubs down there who wouldn't like to see us come in if it meant taking their place.

"I read a quote from one of the chairmen in England saying that turkeys don't vote for Christmas and I can totally understand that.

"All I would say is I think it's something that is worth looking at, although it could be a good bit off yet.

"It's very early days in the proceedings but it's something that would interest me, both because of the teams you'd play against and the money aspect. That would be important.

"I think it's something that's a possibility but there are a lot of boxes to be ticked and crossed before then.

"But it would be great if we could stay involved in Scotland as well because I would hate us to totally lose our identity."

Rangers FC

Old Firm veterans back move to England

Former Old Firm players Sandy Jardine and Frank McGarvey have admitted they believe the time is right for Rangers and Celtic to play in England, on the day the Premier League confirmed it would discuss the possibilty at its Annual General Meeting in June.

Chairmen from England's top flight met yesterday in London and spoke in general terms about league reform, but Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside's idea of admitting the two Scottish clubs in a two-tier Premier League of 18 teams each was not raised.

Jardine, who now works for the Ibrox club following a successful playing career with Rangers which spanned three decades, said: "I am not speaking on behalf of Rangers but I would like Rangers and Celtic to play down there. That would give them the chance to get to their true level.
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"We have a couple of lads who used to work at Ibrox and now they are down in England, one at Chelsea and one at Middlesbrough and I still keep in contact with them.

"I keep kidding them on that we will sell them 50,000 supporters. We are supporter-rich and cash-poor, while a lot of English teams are supporter-poor and cash-rich.

"Rangers and Celtic have huge fan bases but, because of the constraints of Scottish football, they can't get to to their true level. But I stress, that is a personal opinion."

McGarvey, who played for Celtic between 1980 and 1985, agreed: "I think it would be a great move for the Old Firm clubs to move to England. They would get more money, their value as clubs would grow and they would be able to attract better players.

"It would take Rangers and Celtic about five years to get in to the top four or five in England, although it would be interesting to see which one would get there first."

McGarvey also believes the game north of the border would benefit as clubs moved out of the shadow of the big two. He said: "Scottish football would thrive without them. The money may be less from sponsors, but I believe the fans would come back if they thought their team had a better chance of winning trophies."

Herald

hmm selbst als celtic fan weiß ich nicht was man davon halten soll. natürlich ist das old firm DAS spiel der saison, aber spiele gegen st.mirren oder dundee sind einfach mehr oder weniger "pflichtaufgaben" für beide. (auch wenn es auf beiden seiten den einen oder anderen ausrutscher gibt). natürlich würde das old firm aufgewertet werden, da es nur mehr 2x pro saison gespielt werden würde und spiele gegen pool oder manu hätten ihren reiz. allerdings würde über kurz oder lang die schottische liga auf das nievau der irischen zurückfallen und die zuschauerzahlen würden dramatisch einbrechen. glaube kaum, dass die sfa da so einfach einwilligt. leider wird eine schöne stange geld fließen und dem ja steht nichts mehr im wege. warscheinlich haben auch viele englische fans es satt 8x pro saison gegen die sleben teams zu spielen. die großen 4 werden auch die nächsten 50 jahre die englische liga dominieren. dafür ist die schere zwischen arm und reich schon viel groß. hoffe wirklich, dass der deutsche fußball niemals den weg des englischen einschlägt. auch wenn die nächsten 100 jahre keine champions league titel rauskommt

Zitat von madoXX

... hoffe wirklich, dass der deutsche fußball niemals den weg des englischen einschlägt. auch wenn die nächsten 100 jahre keine champions league titel rauskommt

MON's Yes To Scots
By Paul Brown

Martin O'Neill has backed the idea of Celtic and Rangers joining the Barclays Premier League.

O'Neill believes the two Glasgow giants would be "monumental players" and enhance the top-flight tremendously.

He told AVTV: "My personal thought is that Celtic and Rangers would enhance the Barclays Premier League.

"Glasgow is a phenomenal football city - Celtic house 60,000 and Rangers house 50,000. I'm not sure about Rangers but I know Celtic's capacity could go from 60,000 to 80,000 overnight - without a doubt.

"When I was manager of Celtic a number of years ago, there was some talk of both teams joining the Premier League in some capacity. There was mention of them being put in the Championship too, or maybe even lower down than that, and then making them work their way up through promotion.

"If forced to do that, they would eventually get to the top and end up as monumental players in the Premier League.

"Of course, the sceptics would say 'why do it?' But I'm talking about enhancement.

"I suppose Belgian teams could then ask to join the Dutch league and Dutch teams could then request to join the Bundesliga. All of those points would have to be considered.

"But if you're asking for a personal opinion, I think Celtic and Rangers joining would enhance the Barclays Premier League and make us all strive to get better. That's my view.

"There are processes that would to have observed obviously. It was spoken about a few seasons ago and obstacles were put in the way. The idea died at that time and I don't know how strong the possibility is at the moment.

"I certainly support the idea. But, then again, I could be a voice in the wilderness."
AVFC

Old Firm would struggle in England

TONY Mowbray has warned Celtic and Rangers that even if they did negotiate a passage into the English Premier League, the Old Firm would struggle to pose any threat to the leading sides south of the Border.
The former Parkhead skipper, now manager of the Premier League's bottom side West Bromwich Albion, has experienced first hand just how difficult life in the top-flight can be, and while acknowledging that the Glasgow pair had the potential to benefit enormously financially, he suggested they would face an uphill battle to mount a challenge to the big four in England.

Mowbray spent four years as a player with Celtic and had a successful spell as manager of Hibernian before moving to The Hawthorns two-and-a-half years ago.

The Premier League are due to discuss the possibility of revamping the competition in the summer, with the two Scottish giants possibly being involved.

But Mowbray believes there would be no guarantees of Rangers and Celtic being as successful south of the Border.

He said: "I think Celtic and Rangers fans would want to come and compete in the Premier League. The Old Firm would relish the chance to come to England because they are huge football clubs with huge support. Yet there are huge clubs with huge support in this country that can't get anywhere near the top four.

"There are some clubs in the division that are massive and never seem to get anywhere near Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal – so why would Celtic and Rangers?

"It won't be because they attract 60,000 fans every week. Would they be able to attract better players than, for instance, a Newcastle United? I don't know. So why would they be any better than a Newcastle United?

"There are a lot of teams who would love to be at the top end of the Premier League and they aren't because they haven't got the quality players those teams have got.

"I think Celtic and Rangers would relish the opportunity but it doesn't necessarily mean that they would catapult themselves into the top six in England because it is a very competitive league."

More immediately, Mowbray's thoughts are on trying to revive Albion's faint hopes of top-flight survival as they gear up for the away clash at Tottenham on Sunday. The Baggies are six points adrift of fourth from bottom but ended a run of 11 games without a win by defeating Sunderland 3-0 last weekend.

Mowbray said: "Spurs have got some world class players and their own aspirations of finishing seventh. We know it will be tough for us but we know we can give them a few problems. If we win that, we've got Wigan at home and if we win that...let's wait and see.

"For me, it is about the next game. I don't want to look at the bigger picture. It is very difficult for us and yet I am not going to say we are definitely going down or we can get back in the hunt."

Scotland midfielder James Morrison and central defender Abdoulaye Meite are unlikely to have recovered from heel and hamstring problems respectively in time for the trip to White Hart Lane.
Scotsman

Smith: Old Firm would prosper in Prem

Rangers manager Walter Smith refutes claims the Old Firm would struggle in the English Premier League if they were to move there.

In fact, the Ibrox boss is confident Rangers and Celtic would eventually challenge the top four clubs in England if given time to establish themselves.

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray this week questioned the Glasgow giants' ability to make an impression if invited to join a new-look top-flight south of the border.

Smith said: "It's all hypothetical at the moment but there would be a situation where the level of finance which would be available to Rangers and Celtic would be far greater than the majority of the teams in the Premier League if you take into account the commercial aspects.

"Remember, it wouldn't happen overnight. If they were lucky enough to be invited into the Premier League then it would take a good number of years to build up.

"But there is no way Rangers and Celtic would be fighting relegation in the Premier League.

"Rangers and Celtic are bigger than the majority of teams in England, never mind anywhere else.

"If you look at Manchester United, you would say that - yes - there is hardly a team in the world who could compete against them on or off the field.

"But Rangers and Celtic, given a few years, would not be fighting relegation - they would be adding to England's top four."

The Premier League are due to discuss the possibility of revamping the competition in the summer.

But Smith does not hold much hope of the Old Firm being invited to join a new set-up, claiming clubs south of the border would be wary of their potential for success.

He added: "I don't think the English teams would want Rangers and Celtic there for the obvious reasons and that obvious reason is the situation that they would not be fighting relegation."

Meanwhile, Smith hopes Kris Boyd can add to his 100 goals for Rangers between now and the end of the season to bolster their hopes of claiming a domestic double.

The Ibrox club accepted an offer from Birmingham for the striker in January but the move collapsed over personal terms and Smith is now keen to make the most of the prolific forward.

Asked whether Boyd's recent success - he has now netted 29 goals this term - would make it even more difficult to justify a sale in the summer, the Rangers boss said: "We all know the reasons why that was the case in January; it wasn't something the club wanted to do.

"He is here and he is scoring goals. And, as we go into this period of the season, hopefully his goals can help us win the games necessary between now and the end of the season."

Smith also expects Charlie Adam to be back at Ibrox this summer despite overtures from Blackpool about making his successful loan spell a permanent move.

"Once the Championship finishes this weekend, he will be back with us," said Smith.

"So, like every other player on the staff, he will be with us next season unless something else comes along.

"He seems to have played very well. We've had people down watching him on a couple of occasions and he has played very well in those games."
TT

Zitat von Caledonia

Smith: Old Firm would prosper in Prem
"But there is no way Rangers and Celtic would be fighting relegation in the Premier League.

"Rangers and Celtic are bigger than the majority of teams in England, never mind anywhere else.

He added: "I don't think the English teams would want Rangers and Celtic there for the obvious reasons and that obvious reason is the situation that they would not be fighting relegation."
TT

Genau so und nicht anders ist es!
Die Englischen Teams wissen ganz genau, dass wir mit dieser Fanbase & TV-Money zumindest finanziell mit den Top4 mithalten könnten. Bei näherer betrachtung würde man sogar davon ausgehen können, dass wir langfristig weniger probleme hätten! die top4 sind ja megaverschuldet, wir hingegen könnten unsere schulden durch verkäufe ein paar stars halbieren wenn nicht sogar wegmachen. Von dem Stadion, Infrastruktur, usw sind wir mit den top4 auf einem niveao und das einzige was sie im moment besser stellt ist nun mal das TV-money!
Wir sind ein großartiger club mit großer prestige, allerdings können wir uns die Stars 1) nicht leisten und 2) wollen sie nicht in unsere liga. ein wechsel in die EPL würde beide probleme beseitigen!

Insgesamt ist es also klar, die EPL teams wollen uns nicht aufnehmen weil sie ANGST vor uns haben! Sie wissen dass wir mit den gleichen finanz. mitteln nicht schlechter als irgendein anderer EPL verein wären & deshalb wollen sie sich nicht auf einen härteren kampf in der liga einlassen! ich bin mir sicher wenn ein kleiner verein von Sco nach england übersiedeln würde, wäre es den engländern egal, aber hier geht es um die höchste liga & um 2 vereine mit unvorstellbarem potenzial!

Insgesamt kann ich mir also kaum vorstellen dass wir überhaupt irgendwann in die EPL wechseln, außer wenn die teams dazu gezwungen werden (finanziell gesehen) um zu überleben.

Vorläufig kann ich aber mit dem system gut leben, denn solange wir meister werden können wir den engländern in der CL in den arsch treten

Official Site

Old Firm Would Be Massive In England

WALTER SMITH has insisted that the Top Four in England would become the Top Six if Rangers and Celtic were to find a way into the Premiership.

The Ibrox manager remains sceptical about the possibilties of the Old Firm getting the chance to play down south.

However, he insists that if this day ever came then, given time, Glasgow's big two would be challenging for the major honours with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

He said today: "I don't think there is any doubt that if the Old Firm played in England then the level of finance available to them would be greater than the majority of teams in the Premiership.

"It won't happen overnight. People are making assumptions about the way Rangers and Celtic are at the moment and how they would be if they were invited down and it would take them a good number of years to build up.

"There is no way they would be fighting relegation. Rangers and Celtic are bigger than the majority of teams in England and I mean the vast majority.

"Of course, you look at Manchester United and hardly a team in the world could compete against them on the field or off the field.

"Given a few years, Rangers and Celtic would be adding to England's top four."

The Rangers manager, however, is not convinced that the Old Firm are wanted in England even if the latest initiative is coming from Bolton chairman Phil Gartside who is proposing a Premiership 2 with the Old Firm arriving in the second tier.

He said: "I don't think the other English teams want Rangers and Celtic for the reasons I have stated."

Rangers FC

From the NOTW:

Surprisingly, since the controversial split was introduced in 2000 Celtic have NEVER been ordered to play three away games against a top six club. Yet it's happened to Rangers SIX times out of nine - Hibs in 2009 and 2007; Aberdeen 2005; Dundee United 2004, Dunfermline 2002 and Dundee 2001.

13:25
Fußball: Schottland, Premier League:Rangers vs. Celic, "Old Firm Derby" in Glasgow
Laufzeit: 140 Minuten Premiere Sport ab 13:25