BRENDAN RODGERS believes Celtic would be a sensation in England – but doesn’t see it happening.
The Hoops boss insisted such a move would emphasise the size and stature of the Parkhead club.
He said: “Celtic in the Premier League would be an amazing story. It would be an amazing experience for everyone, not just for Celtic, but for other teams.
“I just don’t think it would ever happen. There are so many barriers to go over.
“Celtic are one of the great iconic clubs in the world.
“If they were in the Premier League, what that would generate. For example, we played Ross County at the weekend and we got 58,000-odd thousand.
“Around 60,000 every home game. You could take over virtually every away stadium when you go away, the travelling support will bring 10,000 or 12,000.
“It’s the pure scale of the club, if you’re talking big clubs, history, supporters, all of that.
“What it doesn’t have is finance. It doesn’t have the money that the Premier League generates.”
SPFL chief Neil Doncaster admitted for the first time in the summer that the door could be open soon for the champions to play in England, adding that UEFA are willing to back the notion.
But the Irishman admitted there would be too many hurdles before that could happen and revealed it is more likely the club would be involved in a combined European league.
He added: “I think there are just so many processes it would have to go through. I think there’s more of a chance of it being in a European league, than Celtic being in the pyramid system down south.
“One thing I’d say with England is that every team will believe that they can be a top flight team – Brentfords, Huddersfields – lots of clubs in England have that vision, that ambition to do that.
“So, I think it would be very, very tough for Celtic to be in there. It would be absolutely amazing, and then you would see the true, real size of a club like Celtic.”
The CQN Podcast: A Celtic State of Mind (EP13) The Quality Street Gang Part 1
A Celtic State of Mind offers an insight into the culture of Celtic Football Club, the city of Glasgow, and fans of the reigning invincible Scottish champions.
Each episode includes interviews with ‘Celtic-minded’ figures from the world of sport, music, film, art, broadcasting, literature or politics.
This week, ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ pays tribute to The Quality Street Gang.
In the first of a two-part series, Paul John Dykes interviews Billy Murdoch, Bobby Wraith, HughMcKellar and Lou Macari to discuss one of the finest crops of youngsters ever to emerge from Celtic Park.
90,000 Celtic fans can’t be wrong…
Connect with A Celtic State of Mind @PaulDykes and @CQNMagazine.
