Why buy a Scottish football club like Rangers when a number of English clubs are potentially available at knockdown prices? Television revenue in Scotlaand is a fraction of the amount received in England. Stephen Morrow, head of sports studies at Stirling University, attempts to provide some answers in a recent interview.
Why buy a Scottish football club like Rangers when a number of English clubs are potentially available at knockdown prices? Television revenue in Scotlaand is a fraction of the amount received in England. Stephen Morrow, head of sports studies at Stirling University, attempts to provide some answers in a recent interview.
He points out that both Celtic and Rangers have very loyal fan bases and generate lots of cash. Rangers has a debt problem at the moment, but it’s not that huge compared with the club’s turnover. With a Scottish club there is the prospect of winning trophies and gaining regular access to European competiion in comparison with taking over a mid- to lower-table Premier League club in England. There will be changes to Champions League qualification the season after next which is an issue for Celtic and Rangers, but there is still a better opportunity to qualify than for most English clubs.
He also raises the possibility of a move away from Scottish football, perhaps in some new style European competition. However, that has been talked about for over a decade and no progress has ever been made.
He also emphasises that Rangers have a first-class stadium and training ground. However, he admits that any investor is unlikely to get their money back and that there would have to be sufficient discipline to keep the club’s cost base in line with revenue otherwise they could end up with another pile of debt.