Merged Leagues

**GUFCghost** · 07/04/2013, 11:05 PM

In 1966,Celtic won a European Cup with a squad of mostly academy players,now a days they need a Greek-man who looks like Jesus to get past Barcelona.

Smaller countries are struggling to keep up with the money and fancy imports in other nations.So I think the only way forward for small countries (like us) is to merge leagues with other small nations in order to increase the standard and financial standing of their leagues.

This would be fairly straight forward for the Celtic nations IMO.The four Welsh teams in the English system,the finalists of the Setanta Cup and six SPL teams would make a fine league.The bottom two get relegated and are replaced by play off winners.The old firm will have some competition and the two big Welsh teams will have an easier route to European football.

**Charlie Darwin** · 07/04/2013, 11:47 PM

Would a merged league increase financial standing?

**nigel-harps1954** · 07/04/2013, 11:58 PM

Be an absolutely awful idea. Not to mention it would completely kill any hope of a decent league here.

**osarusan** · 08/04/2013, 1:14 AM

Originally Posted by GUFCghost

This would be fairly straight forward for the Celtic nations IMO.The four Welsh teams in the English system

Swansea will be thrilled to hear they get a chance to play in stadia like Windsor Park and even the fabled Turner's Cross, instead of sh!tholes like the Emirates and Wembley.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 08/04/2013, 9:34 AM

There is no incentive for the Welsh clubs you mention to join such an endeavour, compared to what they currently have.

I see no attraction for either the LOI or the IL from such a scheme.

**BonnieShels** · 08/04/2013, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by GUFCghost

In 1966,

1967

Celtic won a European Cup with a squad of mostly academy players,

Academy? Maybe local. Like a lot of clubs bar the biggest in Europe at the time.

now a days they need a Greek-man who looks like Jesus to get past Barcelona.

a foreigner used to get past a Barcelona side containing foreigners. But they beat them. Didn't they?

Tony Watt scored the goal... He was in the Airdrie United "Academy" I'm sure.

Smaller countries are struggling to keep up with the money and fancy imports in other nations.So I think the only way forward for small countries (like us) is to merge leagues with other small nations in order to increase the standard and financial standing of their leagues.

The only league I want to merge the LOI with is the IL and even then it is not something I want with how things are.

We need to develop our own league. We do not need to take on the problems of the SFL and LOW and IL whilst doing it.

This would be fairly straight forward for the Celtic nations IMO.

Opinions can be wrong. In this case you are.

The four Welsh teams in the English system,the finalists of the Setanta Cup and six SPL teams would make a fine league.The bottom two get relegated and are replaced by play off winners.The old firm will have some competition and the two big Welsh teams will have an easier route to European football.

Swansea City have just won the League Cup. Cardiff have spent a fortune trying to get to the EPL and have changed their blinking colours in the process. I'm sure their true desire is to play in Easter Road and Terryland (Oh wait, no team play there)... eh the Brandywell...

This has short-term novelty value in your own head. Nothing more.

I figured this was going to be a discussion about potential real mergers like Ukraine and Russia and Czech and Slovak which are being mooted.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 08/04/2013, 11:28 AM

There's also the womens football BeNe league between Belgium and the Netherlands.

**nigel-harps1954** · 08/04/2013, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by BonnieShels

a foreigner used to get past a Barcelona side containing foreigners. But they beat them. Didn't they?

Just had to clear this up..7 of Barcas starting team that night were Spanish. The 3 subs brought on were also Spanish

**peadar1987** · 08/04/2013, 11:53 AM

It wouldn't work, especially not in this format. The Welsh wouldn't want to join it (well, Newport or Wrexham might, I suppose), the Scottish might be fairly indifferent, and the FAI/IFA teams would get tanked every week, which wouldn't really attract the barstoolers.

At the moment, the best thing would be some sort of Celtic Cup, along the lines of the Setanta, only marketed well and containing relative glamour teams like Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Dundee, and the Welsh clubs if they wanted to participate. That would be slightly more likely to get off the ground, and the LOI clubs could use the big cup ties to boost their image and get people through the gates.

It wouldn't be a panacea, but anything that would increase the profile of the league is a good thing.

**Charlie Darwin** · 08/04/2013, 12:16 PM

And League of Ireland ties could look forward to glamour "away" ties against Celtic in such locations as the Aviva Stadium and Thomond Park.

**peadar1987** · 08/04/2013, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

And League of Ireland ties could look forward to glamour "away" ties against Celtic in such locations as the Aviva Stadium and Thomond Park.

While raking in the cash from tens of thousands of barstoolers paying through the turnstiles.

**BonnieShels** · 08/04/2013, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

There's also the womens football BeNe league between Belgium and the Netherlands.

That's the other one I missed out on. Cheers.

Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Just had to clear this up..7 of Barcas starting team that night were Spanish. The 3 subs brought on were also Spanish

I was gonna go look at the teams but the fact that Villa was bought in from Valencia and Messi whilst foreign was an academy player I felt it didn't warrant further dissection beyond my implication.

I don't get what the OP's actual problem was with Celtic "relying" on Samaras was to be honest.

Is Sligo "relying" on Elding the major problem with the LOI or Shams previous usage of Twigg for that matter?

**nigel-harps1954** · 08/04/2013, 12:33 PM

Ah yeah, I'm just yankin' your tail.

**BonnieShels** · 08/04/2013, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Ah yeah, I'm just yankin' your tail.

Well stop it or I'll send you to Toronto.

**nigel-harps1954** · 08/04/2013, 3:09 PM

Free holiday? Sweet..

**GUFCghost** · 08/04/2013, 7:56 PM

Originally Posted by BonnieShels

1967

Academy? Maybe local. Like a lot of clubs bar the biggest in Europe at the time.

a foreigner used to get past a Barcelona side containing foreigners. But they beat them. Didn't they?

Tony Watt scored the goal... He was in the Airdrie United "Academy" I'm sure.

The only league I want to merge the LOI with is the IL and even then it is not something I want with how things are.

We need to develop our own league. We do not need to take on the problems of the SFL and LOW and IL whilst doing it.

Opinions can be wrong. In this case you are.

Swansea City have just won the League Cup. Cardiff have spent a fortune trying to get to the EPL and have changed their blinking colours in the process. I'm sure their true desire is to play in Easter Road and Terryland (Oh wait, no team play there)... eh the Brandywell...

This has short-term novelty value in your own head. Nothing more.

I figured this was going to be a discussion about potential real mergers like Ukraine and Russia and Czech and Slovak which are being mooted.

I was just using the idea of a Celtic league because it's closer to home.

If we haven't been able to form a decent league at home in the last fort years why would we now?

**NeverFeltBetter** · 08/04/2013, 9:25 PM

So, what happens to everyone other than Sligo Rovers/Derry/Shams in your system? We just make do, keep trying for the prize of losing in a play-off to Scottish teams?

**A N Mouse** · 09/04/2013, 9:21 AM

Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

So, what happens to everyone other than Sligo Rovers/Derry/Shams in your system? We just make do, keep trying for the prize of losing in a play-off to Scottish teams?

Obviously the loi's sole representatives would be zombie galway united