Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany has said he would love to see Scottish sides come south of the border and play in the Barclays Premier League.
The captain of the Premier League champions was responding to the ‘No’ verdict that was announced in the Scottish independence referendum this morning.
Tweeting to 1.94million followers, the Belgian’s controversial comments have sparked debate among fans.
Kompany said: “Scotland votes No. Hard to look past those headlines. Just my opinion: would love to face some Scottish sides in the Premier League.”
Scotland votes No. Hard to look past those headlines. Just my opinion: would love to face some Scottish sides in the Premier League..
— Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) September 19, 2014
The tweet didn’t exactly go down too well with Kompany’s legion of fans, who were quick to slap down the idea.
Craig Cassells said: “You must be joking, why would the English Premiership want to devalue it’s product by letting scottish teams play??”
In the 30 years since Sir Alex Ferguson led Aberdeen to the title in 1984-85, no side other Celtic or Rangers has claimed the Scottish Premier League.
This has raised questions over the standard of football in Scotland, with the Premier League renowned for being a fiercely competitive competition with no ‘easy’ fixtures.
@VincentKompany They’re barely Championship standard
— Karl Wilder (@karlwilder) September 19, 2014
@VincentKompany They’re enough pub teams in Manchester you could face, instead!!!
— Dean McGee (@1deano3) September 19, 2014
City currently have youngster Jason Denayer and Swedish striker John Guidetti on loan at Celtic and have used the Scottish Premier League to help develop young players in recent seasons.
Ryan McGivern spent the 2012-13 season on loan at Hibernian and is now plying his trade for Port Vale in the English third tier.
The on-going debate surrounding the potential inclusion of traditional powerhouses Celtic and Rangers has diminished following Gers’ financial difficulties and their subsequent relegations.
However, the question of where Scottish teams would enter the English pyramid is another contentious issue, with some fans stating they should begin at Non-League level.
@MaidenheadRed @VincentKompany Too right. If Celtic or Rangers came to English football they should start at the very bottom of the pile.
— Roman Filipowicz (@fritzromanov) September 19, 2014
Many Football League clubs, including Nottingham Forest mentioned below, have been aiming to gain promotion to the English top flight and would naturally be opposed to increased competition.
Welsh side Swansea City are current members of the Barclays Premier League and represented England in Europe after winning the League Cup in 2013.
Along with Cardiff, the only non-English winners of the FA Cup, Swansea turned down the opportunity to join the Welsh Premier League when it was formed in 1992.
@DanMagic_ @VincentKompany I agree with Vinny on this one! It’s either include scots or exclude Welsh.
— Hamza (@BnfHam) September 19, 2014
With Scotland’s decision to remain within the United Kingdom, Kompany’s hopes may still one day come to fruition.
But for now at least, it appears that he will have to concentrate on tackling current Premier League strikers as he prepares to face Chelsea this Sunday.
“@VincentKompany: Would love to face some Scottish sides in the Premier League..” Worry about Costa before you worry about Kenny Miller.
— Seb O’Mahoney (@Seb22) September 19, 2014
Image courtesy of Lee Dixon, via Action Images, with thanks.
