North Atlantic League???

[ant london]

Teams from Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Scandinavia and.....erm......Portugal??

You fucking what mate?

Would stop people moaning about Premiership ticket prices I guess......Glasgow to Lisbon anyone??!

The possibility of the Old Firm being invited to join a North Atlantic League could be resurrected after the president of the Dutch Football Association revealed he plans to lobby Uefa on the issue.

The idea for Celtic and Rangers to compete against clubs from Holland, Belgium, Portugal and Scandinavia was first mooted at the end of the 1990s but never took off.

The Dutch FA head Michael van Praag – a leading member of Uefa's executive committee – believes that while the timing was flawed, the concept was not.

He said: "There was no way we could push that through because Uefa at that time were conservative and full of fear. Now I am part of Uefa myself and, for this course, I can begin the lobby. It makes sense to start the lobbying now."

Both Old Firm clubs are open to leaving the Scottish Premier League, preferably for its English counterpart. But this latest proposal could divide the rivals, with Celtic's chief executive Peter Lawwell last week branding the concept "Frankenstein", while his Rangers counterpart Martin Bain welcomed Van Praag's intervention.

He told the Daily Record: "I find what Michael van Praag has to say of great interest. I mentioned last week it was time for a wind of change in the European game and that there are many other like-minded clubs.

"Uefa themselves realise something has to be done to help the growth of clubs from smaller nations and, in turn, to protect the competitive nature of the Champions League.

"To hear someone of the stature of the president of the Dutch FA saying the time is right to begin serious discussions merely confirms what we ourselves believe. We welcome it and would hope these talks begin soon."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009 ... ic-rangers

[mr_nool]

I''m totally opposed to it. Can't really explain why, it just feels totally wrong.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

I''m totally opposed to it. Can't really explain why, it just feels totally wrong.

i'm heavily against any nonsense like that for the simple reason that domestic league should be just that, domestic. How are away supporters supposed to be able to follow their team away week in week out?

[Kyle]

I''m totally opposed to it. Can't really explain why, it just feels totally wrong.

i'm heavily against any nonsense like that for the simple reason that domestic league should be just that, domestic. How are away supporters supposed to be able to follow their team away week in week out?

Your exactly right. It goes against everything that is good in sport. It makes football become a segregator instead of a unifier making the middle and lower classes not even being able to travel with the team...

[Beefymcfc]

Teams from Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Scandinavia and.....erm......Portugal??

I agree, go for it boys. I'd be worried if I was a Scottish team though!!!

[Fidel Castro]

Shitest idea in history. Doesn't surprise me, as the cunt who dreamed this crock of shit up is the former president of the Dutch rags. And now he's the president of the Dutch FA, wonder why ajakkes get away with everything? Unishite & Ajax= one and the same. I'm pissed off just thinking about them

[Beefymcfc]

Shitest idea in history. Doesn't surprise me, as the cunt who dreamed this crock of shit up is the former president of the Dutch rags. And now he's the president of the Dutch FA, wonder why ajakkes get away with everything? Unishite & Ajax= one and the same. I'm pissed off just thinking about them

Help me out here mate, what's the correlation?

[ronk]

I''m totally opposed to it. Can't really explain why, it just feels totally wrong.

i'm heavily against any nonsense like that for the simple reason that domestic league should be just that, domestic. How are away supporters supposed to be able to follow their team away week in week out?

Your exactly right. It goes against everything that is good in sport. It makes football become a segregator instead of a unifier making the middle and lower classes not even being able to travel with the team...

Happens in the Champions League. Less matches, but still a factor.

The American Football league structure would lend itself to this. I can see all sorts of reasons why it won't even be considered, but it would actually work (in a manner of speaking).

Something like a a 12 team division in each of Scotland, Belgium and Holland. Play every team in your country home and away. Also play teams from the other countries on a home/away basis in alternate years. Sort out everything at the end with a little cup competition, best runners up play playoffs to go into a semi-final.

[Manx Blue]

If it were to happen, the g14 would indirectly have the right to start their own competition, and football as we know it at present could be ripped to pieces.

[Redna]

Without having the statistics right I think we are dealing with clubs in respective countrys been winning to much.
Porto,Sporting,Benfica :almost every title since the napoleon wars.
Ajax,PSV,Feyernoord : almost every title since the first world war.
Celtic,Rangers : almost every title since the stoneage.
Teams that are tired of winning domestic titles and seeking fresh grass.
It´s like a swingers party of football.
I'm returning the Manchester once again, this time with both kids and the wife. Fulham home and Scunthorpe home. Can't wait.
CTID!!

[mr_nool]

Without having the statistics right I think we are dealing with clubs in respective countrys been winning to much.
Porto,Sporting,Benfica :almost every title since the napoleon wars.
Ajax,PSV,Feyernoord : almost every title since the first world war.
Celtic,Rangers : almost every title since the stoneage.
Teams that are tired of winning domestic titles and seeking fresh grass.
It´s like a swingers party of football.
I'm returning the Manchester once again, this time with both kids and the wife. Fulham home and Scunthorpe home. Can't wait.
CTID!!

If that's the case, Rosenborg in Norway might want to join (even though they've just came through a couple of rough years),but in Sweden you don't have one dominant force. Denmark has 2-3 teams fighting for the title every year.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Without having the statistics right I think we are dealing with clubs in respective countrys been winning to much.
Porto,Sporting,Benfica :almost every title since the napoleon wars.
Ajax,PSV,Feyernoord : almost every title since the first world war.
Celtic,Rangers : almost every title since the stoneage.
Teams that are tired of winning domestic titles and seeking fresh grass.
It´s like a swingers party of football.
I'm returning the Manchester once again, this time with both kids and the wife. Fulham home and Scunthorpe home. Can't wait.
CTID!!

If that's the case, Rosenborg in Norway might want to join (even though they've just came through a couple of rough years),but in Sweden you don't have one dominant force. Denmark has 2-3 teams fighting for the title every year.

but Gothenburg and probably AIK would have the set up and fanbase to deal with it. That said Swedish league is very competitive, exciting and drawing good crowds so I don't see any reason for them to join. In Denmark it would be Copenhagen and Brondby. I know for a fact that HJK in Helsinki is dreaming of being part of it but whether they'd be accepted is another thing.

I still hate the idea and despite being season ticket holder for HJK, I wouldn't be looking forward to it.

[Vhero]

Will never happen if you can't even get 2 scottish clubs in the prem this definitely ain't gonna happen

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Crock of shite really, but I'd sooner this than the stupid idea of Rangers and Celtic playing in the Prem.

[Ted Hughes]

I made the comment in the thread about Rangers & Celtic joining the PL that it was never going to happen & that they were using it as a smokescreen becuase they were up to something like this.

I recon this will happen. It will require some arse licking, promise of votes & possibly backhanders for UEFA officials but that's why they were taliking about a 10 year timeframe. This will make a lot of money because it will create interest. I don't agree with it but I'd watch it on tv whereas I don't give a flying fuck watching the two bigot teams playing in Scotland.

We've seen how many Rangers arsewipes are willing to travel & Celtic in particular have more plastic, phoney, shirt wearing, wanker so called supporters even than the rags so this could give them a huge boost & make them lots of money.

[Twobob]

To be fair, now that the money has really dropped off from the SPL the gap between the old firm and the other clubs has reduced, I dont give a flying one about scottish football really but from what I've seen recently is that Rangers and Celtic dont really have much money - neigther do the othe scottish clubs, and apart from larger fan bases I can really see either rangers or Celtic being knocked down to 3rd spot either this season or next.

A season or two outside the Chumps league spots up there could really see some of the plastics from Rangers or Celtic starting to whatch thier more local teams as opposed to traveling half way accross Scotland to see them.

In the old days when they were the only clubs with money up there I can see why they would have touting things like this as 'good for the rest of the scottish league' or the crap idea of them joining the PL but now its only out of desperation by the Old firm clubs to try and claw more money in for themselves because they're as skint as the rest of the SPL clubs!

As for Portugal being in it - How far north do you have to go to hit bloody Portugal!

[ronk]

For me one of the interesting things about this is looking at a North Atlantic League without Scotland. Scottish football can fix its issues without recourse to structural changes in the league.

Belgium, Holland, Luxenbourg, Denmark and possibly even Norway, Finland and Sweden (or those last 3 with Denmark going their own way).

Celtic and Rangers are problems because their fans like winning most weekends against Scottish opposition. It would be better to integrate Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee etc.

Obviously, from a self interest point of view anything that competes better with the premier league would be bad for us.

The proper way to do it would be to get the football associations working closely with each other, the governments, the international managers, the fans, the clubs and a reasonable number of ex-pat players (not all, going for everyone is over-reaching) to make it work.

A lot of players would prefer to play at home if they could get the same standard of football and comparable pay (tax breaks might make up much of the difference, as in Ireland). It wouldn't work without a broad base of support, a few chairmen trying to milk fans won't get far. But if they got it right, Platini would love it. He'd buffalo it through FIFA and UEFA all the faster just to piss off the big English and Spanish clubs. The big Dutch and Belgian clubs would become a force in European football (not dominant, just strong enough to compete reasonably well) and the Champions League would be that bit more international (and hence popular in those areas). Spreading the wealth places other than England and Spain might close the gap just enough that the German and French leagues get a boost, especially the French.

The thing is, Celtic and Rangers don't really add anything to the table. They're too avaricious and there's no way to get them out of Scotland that's not very messy and going to lead to bitter fighting.

[mr_nool]

For me one of the interesting things about this is looking at a North Atlantic League without Scotland. Scottish football can fix its issues without recourse to structural changes in the league.

Belgium, Holland, Luxenbourg, Denmark and possibly even Norway, Finland and Sweden (or those last 3 with Denmark going their own way).

Celtic and Rangers are problems because their fans like winning most weekends against Scottish opposition. It would be better to integrate Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee etc.

Obviously, from a self interest point of view anything that competes better with the premier league would be bad for us.

The proper way to do it would be to get the football associations working closely with each other, the governments, the international managers, the fans, the clubs and a reasonable number of ex-pat players (not all, going for everyone is over-reaching) to make it work.

A lot of players would prefer to play at home if they could get the same standard of football and comparable pay (tax breaks might make up much of the difference, as in Ireland). It wouldn't work without a broad base of support, a few chairmen trying to milk fans won't get far. But if they got it right, Platini would love it. He'd buffalo it through FIFA and UEFA all the faster just to piss off the big English and Spanish clubs. The big Dutch and Belgian clubs would become a force in European football (not dominant, just strong enough to compete reasonably well) and the Champions League would be that bit more international (and hence popular in those areas). Spreading the wealth places other than England and Spain might close the gap just enough that the German and French leagues get a boost, especially the French.

The thing is, Celtic and Rangers don't really add anything to the table. They're too avaricious and there's no way to get them out of Scotland that's not very messy and going to lead to bitter fighting.

I understand what your saying but it's a very complicated issue, whit so many different national lawas and regulations. You bring up tax laws, which is one of the huge differences. In Denmark for instance, the players pay half the tax than the players in Sweden, which has made the Danish league a lot better and more competitive on the European level the last few years. Another issue is ownership. In both Holland and Sweden, for instance, the club has to own at least 51% of the shares. Just a few years ago, sports clubs were not allowed to be listed on the stock market at all, but were to be run as voluntary association.

I really can't see it happening within the next few years. There've been discussion for years of a Nordic/Scandinavian league, but despite great interest and genuine rivalry between the countries and the teams, it hasn't becomereality. Threr actually has been an actual second rate chapions league (Royal League) for the top three teams from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. But is was played in the middle of the grim Scandinavian winter, with very low interest from fans and sponsors. It only lasted 2 or 3 years, before it was cancelled due to lack of funds.

[Redna]

Are all games gonna be played on the Faroe-Islands (North Atlantic League??).
All this idea looks like a poor mans Europa League. Dream on.Dream on.
CTID!!

[Lev Bronstein]

Hmmm!!

On the surface it's a crap idea. But, to me it just emphasises just how much the Champions League has distorted football. The whole thing is skewed to make the existing elite become entrenched in their positions.

Multi entries from one country guaranteeing the same clubs compete year in year out.

Seeding, making it less likely that the "top cubs" eliminate each other, and less likely that an outsider will slip through to the later stages.

And just to make sure: the group stages. The effect of one off bad results can be minimised. The richer clubs with the biggest squads can grind down the less favoured.

Clubs like Ajax and Celtic have an honourable history in European competitions. Can anyone see Ajax, for example, winning the Champs league again? What chance a French club, or Bayern Munich?

Now, don't get me wrong. It isn't so much that I fear, say, Barca winning three years on the row. It's the fact that the semi-finalists, and to a lesser extent quarter-finalists seem to be the same year in year out.

So, I don't condemn the clubs involved trying to bridge the gap. Even so it won't work. It smacks too much of desperation.