Former QPR striker labels Celtic a 'mid-table Championship' club
Celtic have been told they would only be a mid-table Championship team if they were to play in the EFL Championship. The Bhoys have no intention of joining the English league system, not because of the standard, but because they are a Scottish club.
But the conversation comes up from time to time, and it's usually either when the Bhoys are playing very well or have a bad result in Europe. The latter applies in this case, with Celtic having suffered a four-goal collapse to drop out of the Champions League this week.
And so former QPR striker Charlie Austin has been speaking on his YouTube channel about the prospect of Celtic playing down South, and how they would get on.
"Listen, they're not going to do that," he began. "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."
The Cetlc Bhoys verdict
This is a nonsense debate that would only become truly worthwhile if it ever becomes a possibility. But let's engage for the sake of providing a response.
Celtic are a big club, and if they were to receive Championship revenues, and the promise of Premier League revenues, there would be huge potential to grow, albeit European football would be unlikely for some time.
Currently, Celtic's squad value, according to Transfermarkt, would put them as the sixth most expensive squad in the EFL Championship. Squad value certainly isn't everything, but it is a relatively good guide on how a team could compete. The Hoops would have a fine chance of pushing for promotion in that league, and it's obvious that players like Benjamin Nygren, Alistair Johnston, Kasper Hogh, Kieran Tierney and others would all be seen as top Championship players.
It won't happen, but if it did, Austin's prediction doesn't particularly add up.
