Charlie Austin delivers brutal Celtic and Rangers Championship verdict | OneFootball

Pundit Charlie Austin has given a brutal verdict on Celtic or Rangers playing in the EFL Championship after their disastrous European campaigns...

Charlie Austin has reignited the long-running debate over Rangers and Celtic potentially joining the English football pyramid after both clubs endured disastrous European starts, with Derek McInness' now completely out of continental competition.

Celtic suffered a remarkable Champions League collapse. Rangers were first knocked out of the Europa League before losing their Conference League play-off to Jablonec on penalties, while Celtic squandered a 3-0 first-leg advantage against LASK to lose their Champions League tie 5-4 on aggregate after leading the tie 4-0 at one stage.

Charlie Austin's comments have once again opened up one of British football's most fascinating hypothetical debates: could Rangers and Celtic ever leave Scotland behind and join the English football pyramid? Be that in either the Premier League or the Championship?

Charlie Austin's verdict on Rangers and Celtic joining English football

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It is an idea that would undoubtedly have plenty of support. Some pundits, former players, and supporters would welcome two of Britain's biggest clubs entering English football, arguing that the prospect of regular Old Firm involvement in the Premier League would bring huge crowds, television interest, and some truly blockbuster fixtures.

Speaking via The Charlie Austin Football Channel on YouTube, Austin reacted to the idea of them joining the English league system. He said: "Listen, they're not going to do that. That's just all talk because of the size of the football clubs, the size of the stadiums, the fan base, etc. That's why it gets spoken about for them to come down to the Premier League.

"Like I said, I think they would struggle in the Championship. Mid-table, if that if we're honest. If you put them in there for 46 games, do you think they would get promoted? I don't think so. Look, it's massive for them clubs to get into the European competition. It's massive for Celtic and Rangers to get the Champions League or the Europa League, but they have failed.

"They have failed miserably. The players combined for both clubs have brought a spotlight onto the football club and the fanbase, so that we have these conversations and everybody else is having these conversations.

"That almost why? How? Celtic, for argument’s sake, four up, mate. Four up and lose the game 5-1. The thing is, I think I heard on the radio yesterday, one of the bookies was saying at one point Celtic were at a 98% chance. It was one to 66, I think it was that they were to qualify to the next round.

"It was a capitulation. It was a shambolic performance. Martin O'Neill, the era of the manager where it's on him, it's on him, it's not on the players. But, ultimately, as time goes on, you look right through that because that is solely on the players when you're on that pitch.

"But momentum was going. The momentum was going. You can feel it when games are going and slipping away. You just need to break it up. Do something! It was like, in the end with Celtic, it was men versus boys and maybe that's exactly where it is. People forget people forget.

"Look, they play against themselves. Celtic and Rangers play each other three or four times, right? Yes, Hearts was different last year. Normally it's not, but last year, it's a three-way tie. Don't give me that there's any other hard games.

"That's not being disrespectful. I'm just looking at it going, 'do you know what? Everyone raises their games when they go to Celtic Park or they go to Ibrox'. Absolutely. Why wouldn't you? However, other than that, what's their test? What is their test where they're all at their max? Where they're all at their max?

"Because they only need to be a seven out of 10, eight out of 10 most weeks, I would say, to win with the quality that they've all got in their squads compared to the rest up in Scotland."

Rangers' miserable qualifying campaign has now left them without any European football at all this season, while Celtic's collapse against LASK was almost equally damaging. A move south could, therefore, provide the week-in, week-out competition some believe they need.

However, there would be enormous opposition too. Many English fans would simply ask why two Scottish clubs should be allowed into a pyramid containing clubs that have spent decades trying to earn their way towards the Premier League. There would also be major questions over where they would enter the system and the potential damage their departure could cause to Scottish football.

For some, the idea is exciting and commercially irresistible. For others, it is fundamentally unfair and something that should never happen. That is why, even after Austin's latest intervention, the prospect of Rangers and Celtic playing in England remains a debate capable of dividing football fans for years and years to come.

Charlie Austin is not best placed to understand Celtic and Rangers

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Austin arguably has a point, particularly given his extensive experience of English football. The former striker played 451 games across all four professional divisions, while his time with Burnley, QPR, Southampton, and West Brom gave him a particularly strong understanding of the demands of the Championship.

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He also made 111 Premier League appearances, scoring 34 goals. That means he is well-placed to judge what Rangers and Celtic would be like in the Premier League or Championship. However, they could bring plenty to the English pyramid, with both possessing the fanbases, history, and commercial appeal to add enormous interest.

That's why his view should be caveated somewhat, as Austin has never experienced playing for either Old Firm club and cannot fully understand the unique pressure or scale that comes with representing them. Nor can he truly understand their level without having played for one of them against Scottish opposition lower down the Scottish Premiership.