Old Firm in England?
At first sight Dermot Desmond appears to be an eccentric sort of chap. Dressed smartly in tweeds and a salmon pink tie, he sports a handlebar moustache not entirely dissimilar to Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York.
When he speaks you're expecting to hear the slurred drivel of soused English country gent. That he is an eloquent, well-respected and successful Dublin-born billionaire businessman comes as a surprise to many.
Not only is he Celtic's chairman and majority shareholder, he holds a stake in Manchester United and owns the lucrative stockbroker-friendly London City Airport.
He is also the man who this week once again raised the question of whether Scotland's two largest clubs, Celtic and Rangers, should be granted entry to compete in the English Premier League.
It is not a new debate and the cynic might suggest that the only reason Desmond has once again raised the issue is to increase Celtic's profile in the days ahead of the club's annual general meeting on Thursday.
Desmond brought up the subject by slamming the football authorities in both Scotland and England and calling for an independent regulator to be found to administer the game north and south of the border.
In a move unlikely to help his objective Desmond also spoke out against clubs, broadcasters and administrators going so far as to claim that they are operating as a cartel and stifling competition and preventing the Old Firm duo from exercising their rights to free trade.
Stressing his main arguments for Old Firm inclusion in the Premier League Desmond says: 'We've carried out surveys and reviews and neutral people want to see Celtic and Rangers in the Premier League in the UK. They would bring in excess of £100 million a year to the Premiership.
'UEFA and FIFA do not object to Celtic and Rangers joining the Premiership if the Scottish Football Association and the Football Association agree, so it is not a legal restriction.
'I think football would be better in Scotland and football would be better in the Premiership.'
For Celtic and Rangers playing in the Premier League would bring several significant benefits, from increased commercial revenues, to higher international profiles as well as a higher standard of competition.
By and large the Old Firm fail to reproduce their domestic dominance onto the European stage, particularly in UEFA's flagship Champions League.
Many believe that in order for Rangers and Celtic to improve their European performances they must compete week in, week out in a league which has true competitive depth.
Illustrating the domestic dominance of the Old Firm, last season seven of the top ten highest Scottish Premier League scorers came from either Rangers or Celtic.
Of course, you can't blame Celtic and Rangers from wanting to join the Premier League, from the money involved to the chance of play against and host the biggest and best stars from England, it is indeed tantalising stuff.
However, for the Old Firm, and the neutrals who Desmond rightly points out are keen for their inclusion, the problem is that it just won't be happening, not now, not soon, and unless there is a radical shift in thinking, not ever.
Preventing the Scottish pairs' involvement in English football and barring the way for them to join the glamorous league south of the border is not a question of knee-jerk xenophobia, it is about what is right for the game as a whole, and in this instance what might be right for Celtic and Rangers would not be right for Scottish football or for the two English clubs who would be displaced from the Premier League if the Old Firm were allowed in.
The only way that Celtic and Rangers will ever be allowed into English football is if they begin on the very bottom rung of the ladder and fight their way up to the Premier League, the suggestion of parachuting these two giants into the Premier League because of the size and stature is simply wrong.
The 20 clubs that comprise the Premier League at present are not there through a geographical quirk, but on pure merit.
While Desmond's claim that English soccer would benefit from the Old Firm's involvement is probably right, his assertion that Scottish football would also benefit is surely wide of the mark.
Without Celtic and Rangers the 12-club Scottish Premier League would lose its two biggest draws and as a result would find itself on the periphery of the football buff's interests.
Television broadcasters love the fervent rivalry of Old Firm clashes because the passion displayed on and off the pitch attracts committed fans, as well as those who might not ordinarily care to watch.
Without these 'event matches' and without Celtic and Rangers the SPL as a product would lose its appeal to broadcasters, resulting in a dramatic reduction in television income, which in turn would affect the clubs ability to retain and attract top players.
If the Old Firm's inclusion in the Premier League would, as Desmond claims, be worth £100 million their exit from the Scottish game could leave it in critical ill-health.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, speaking after his side's recent 1-1 pre-season draw against Celtic, feels it would be a disaster for Scottish football if Celtic and Rangers were to leave. 'I can't see it surviving if it lost its biggest clubs.' he said.
Unfortunately for Desmond there is little enthusiasm for an Old Firm switch in England.
The Premier League itself has poured cold water on the subject by telling reporters bluntly that 'There is no chance' of the Glasgow giants playing in England.
The Football Association believe that allowing Scottish clubs to play in the English league would set a dangerous precedent, encourage teams to disregard national borders and swap leagues at a whim.
Highlighting the inherent risk in allowing the Old Firm switch David Davies, the FA director of football affairs, says: 'You could go to North America, you could go to Asia, there are a lot of clubs there who would like to play in England. [But] if you go down this road then frankly international football is dead'.
'Whenever this matter has come up at the Premier League, the clubs understand the initial attraction and then go into the reality of it. Domestic football is right at the heart of the game worldwide. If you have a strong league everything else stems from that.'
At a time of political devolution and greater autonomy for the home nations it seems strange and somewhat off-pace for the Old Firm to clamour for inclusion in English football.
Nevertheless, while the benefits of switching to England remain more attractive than staying in Scotland the calls of Desmond and the Old Firm will continue to crop up every so often, and will continue to be dismissed by the authorities.
Perhaps the only hope Celtic and Rangers have of competing against Premier League opposition is if they can find a television broadcaster willing to fund a breakaway league including the cream of England as well as the Old Firm.
But this, like Desmond's hopes of the Old Firm being granted direct entry to the Premiership, is pie in the sky.
