I don't understand about team that play in England league ?

First of all, I'm not from Europe country so only have few knowledge about it.

I taught only team that based on England play in the league until I read several comment in Football Forum :

" Would have much preferred Cardiff in the Prem Lge - would have been interesting to have the first Welsh team. Just another Lancashire team - the league is overcrowded with Lancashore teams now (Liverpool, Everton, Man U, Man City, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan) - Burnley leave, Blackpool come in. Still cannot believe that Yorkshire has no teams at all "

" Half the premier league is in Lancashire now, might as well call it the Lancashire and London league.......... "

What is " Lancashire " and " Yorkshire " ?

Why team from Wales play in England League ?

What about the idea to include Scotland team Celtic and Rangers in England league ?

First of all, I'm not from Europe country not have few knowledge about it.

I taught only team that based on England play in the league until I read several comment in Football Forum :

" Would have much preferred Cardiff in the Prem Lge - would have been interesting to have the first Welsh team. Just another Lancashire team - the league is overcrowded with Lancashore teams now (Liverpool, Everton, Man U, Man City, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan) - Burnley leave, Blackpool come in. Still cannot believe that Yorkshire has no teams at all "

" Half the premier league is in Lancashire now, might as well call it the Lancashire and London league.......... "

What is " Lancashire " and " Yorkshire " ?

Why team from Wales play in England League ?

What about the idea to include Scotland team Celtic and Rangers in England league ?

Lancashire and Yorkshire are counties of England. Lancashire is sometimes referred to as the Red Rose County while Yorkshire is the White Rose County. These two counties are the ones referenced to in the war of the roses.

I'm not sure why teams from Wales play in the English leagues as they don't get punishments from the english FA but the Welsh FA.

On the last point I personally think that if Celtic and Rangers were to join the English leagues it should not be automatically given a spot in the premier league but should have to work their way up from the championship.

Hope this helps in some ways.

Historically teams like Cardiff, Swansea, Newport County and Wrexham, Merthyr Tydfil and Colwyn Bay (may be more?) have been in the English league system (by long I mean decades), so even though they're based in Wales they're permitted to play in England. In fact I think teams like Cardiff were even part of the founders of some of the old English leagues. There used to be a question of whether Welsh teams were allowed to compete in Europe because the it's the Welsh FA that these teams still fall under in some way and the Welsh FA is the one who nominates teams from Wales to play in Europe (although UEFA later let the English FA do that instead).

The Old Firm (Celtic and Rangers) want to join the Premier League because the rest of the SPL is relatively poor and holding back these two teams. The Premier League is opposed to it though for obvious reasons. I'm generally against the Old Firm joining the Premier League because the Premier League teams have made it here on merit. When you look at the Old Firm occasionally strengthening their squads from relegated Premier League sides it's not obvious that the Old Firm will qualify for the Old Firm on merit, depriving possibly one or two teams in the Championship places in the Premier League. Which is why if they do join the English system, they should join lower down - in my opinion.

OP: A similar case is with Berwick in the Scottish leagues. Berwick is in England, but very close to Scotland, and it is easier and cheaper for them to play in the Scottish leagues, as it reduces the cost of travelling.

There's also examples of teams playing in different countries (remember, "England" isn't a country, but for FIFA purposes the Home Nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are largely treated as separate "footballing nations"): FC Vaduz (based in Liechtenstein, play in Switzerland), Toronto FC (based in Canada, play in the United States) and San Marino Calcio (based in San Marino, play in Italy) and so on. Much of these require permission to do so and lots are based on historical reasons.

There's doubtless caveats about doing such a thing of course - for example, FC Vaduz will never be able to qualify for Europe via the Swiss League any time soon (they're in the wrong division and are not strong enough to stay in the top tier as it stands) but nevertheless they usually qualify for Europe via the Liechtenstein Cup as winners - so they actually play in two different countries!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_clubs_playing_in_the_league_of_another_country

England is a country, as is Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is just that these countries come together to form Great Britain/United Kingdom.

Can I ask why you oppose the old firm joining the prem in my honest opinion I think you are scared because with the money of your teams both sides would become two of the best sides in the league.

England is a country as are Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales...England, Scotland and Wales from Great Britain, which along with Northern Ireland forms the United Kingdom which is not a country but a Sovereign State.

England is a country, as is Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is just that these countries come together to form Great Britain/United Kingdom.

England is a country as are Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales...England, Scotland and Wales from Great Britain, which along with Northern Ireland forms the United Kingdom which is not a country but a Sovereign State.

While the idea of "nation", "state" and "country" is rather blurred right now, England, Northern Ireland and Wales lack a government of their own (there is, of course, the UK government). You can't do diplomatic ties with the Home Nations separately. You can't do trade agreements. They're not nations in the sense that they are separate countries with working governments. They are slightly less autonomous than the individual states of the United States and nobody disputes the fact that all these states fall under the country that is United States of America.

Can I ask why you oppose the old firm joining the prem in my honest opinion I think you are scared because with the money of your teams both sides would become two of the best sides in the league.

Not actually sure where you're getting that from considering Scottish teams have very mixed fortunes in Europe, dubious finances of their own and strengthen their sides with the likes of Kenny Miller and Marc-Antoine Fortuné (look at where they came from before joining the Old Firm). Newcastle have a huge fanbase in the UK and look at what happened there. The Old Firm will be mid-table if they joined the Premier League at best.

The best sides in the Premier League (Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal) routinely do well in Europe, in the league and in the Cups. Liverpool have a solid European history while Spurs and City have very good teams indeed. Even Fulham got into the Europa League Final. The Old Firm will find it very difficult to get into Europe in the Premier League.

Premier League money is no guarantee of anything - look at what happened to Portsmouth, and what could be happening to Hull City and West Ham.

The reasons for opposing the Old Firm joining the Premier League are fairly numerous:

1) Will create a 22-team league which adds to fixture congestion

2) If it creates a 20-team league two Championship sides will miss out

3) The SFL controls Scottish teams' entry to Europe, so the Old Firm will likely lose Europe for that season, and possibly a while

4) The rest of the SPL will suffer hugely without the Old Firm, without ticket revenues

5) Teams that join other leagues in the past started from far down the pyramid, working their way up on merit. Should the Old Firm do so too?

6) Less television revenue for each existing team

7) The Old Firm want to join the Premier League mostly for the money, while it's not too certain what the Old Firm actually bring to the Premier League

8) Teams don't get to pull up and move leagues as they please

etc.

Can I ask why you oppose the old firm joining the prem in my honest opinion I think you are scared because with the money of your teams both sides would become two of the best sides in the league.

This is the funniest thing I've heard in a while, almost as funny as the time I was told England isn't a country.

Is there such a thing as an "English citizen"?

Is there such a thing as an "English citizen"?

No but England is still a country mate.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

England (i /ˈɪŋɡlənd/) is a COUNTRY that is part of the United Kingdom.[6][7][8] It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

There's also examples of teams playing in different countries (remember, "England" isn't a country, but for FIFA purposes the Home Nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are largely treated as separate "footballing nations"): FC Vaduz (based in Liechtenstein, play in Switzerland), Toronto FC (based in Canada, play in the United States) and San Marino Calcio (based in San Marino, play in Italy) and so on. Much of these require permission to do so and lots are based on historical reasons.

There's doubtless caveats about doing such a thing of course - for example, FC Vaduz will never be able to qualify for Europe via the Swiss League any time soon (they're in the wrong division and are not strong enough to stay in the top tier as it stands) but nevertheless they usually qualify for Europe via the Liechtenstein Cup as winners - so they actually play in two different countries!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_clubs_playing_in_the_league_of_another_country

Actually Liechtenstein don't have a league of their own so all clubs from Liechtenstein play in the Swiss leagues. Then they compete in the Liechtenstein Cup to decide who qualifies for Europe.

England is a country of the United Kingdom, but is NOT a sovereign state

Centuries ago we were a sovereign state, but not no more

Well if England isn't a country, perhaps I better rethink who I'm going to support at the world cup.

Not actually sure where you're getting that from considering Scottish teams have very mixed fortunes in Europe, dubious finances of their own and strengthen their sides with the likes of Kenny Miller and Marc-Antoine Fortuné (look at where they came from before joining the Old Firm). Newcastle have a huge fanbase in the UK and look at what happened there. The Old Firm will be mid-table if they joined the Premier League at best.

The best sides in the Premier League (Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal) routinely do well in Europe, in the league and in the Cups. Liverpool have a solid European history while Spurs and City have very good teams indeed. Even Fulham got into the Europa League Final. The Old Firm will find it very difficult to get into Europe in the Premier League

You are comparing the Old Firm with their SPL money to the top 4 with their sky money.

You neglect to mention that things would be far different if both Old Firm teams had the same cash flow as United and Chelsea (etc.) from a tv rights and league prize money point of view.

Cost of tickets would also rise a lot, its only £22 roughly to see Rangers or Celtic play another SPL team, if they moved to the EPL then prices would rise and revenue would as well.

Im not saying they would waltz the EPL and be winning trophies left right and centre as soon as they got in, but they would be knocking on the top 4's door before too long.

Can I ask why you oppose the old firm joining the prem in my honest opinion I think you are scared because with the money of your teams both sides would become two of the best sides in the league.

Lol what? Rangers are skint and Celtic don't exactly have money to flutter. The SPL is Championship to lower-premiership quality at the very best. Celtic and Rangers wouldn't be able to compete all that well n the Premiership tbh

Lol what? Rangers are skint and Celtic don't exactly have money to flutter. The SPL is Championship to lower-premiership quality at the very best. Celtic and Rangers wouldn't be able to compete all that well n the Premiership tbh

I am scottish and i agree here but with 2-3 seasons in england rangers and celtic would be europe chasing teams with the cash injections.

In my opinion scotland wales and england should have the one football governing body and all teams would play in the same league system wereas celtic rangers in the epl.Hearts hibs dundee untied in the championship and sorted from there down

I am scottish and i agree here but with 2-3 seasons in england rangers and celtic would be europe chasing teams with the cash injections.

In my opinion scotland wales and england should have the one football governing body and all teams would play in the same league system wereas celtic rangers in the epl.Hearts hibs dundee untied in the championship and sorted from there down

And after you get past teams such as Aberdeen where would you put them? The Unibond? The bottom half of the Scottish first division would struggle in the Blue Square.

It'd be pointless, it'd still be dominated by the English teams

Would England have 7 Champions League places and 12 Europa League places in a combined UK league system? That would be pretty good.

Would England have 7 Champions League places and 12 Europa League places in a combined UK league system? That would be pretty good.

This is why I dont understand the old firm moaning about coming into the Premiership. In the SPL, they are guarenteed European football every season unless something drastic happens. They get a fair bit of money from that if they get into the Champions League.

If they came to the Premiership, they wouldnt be guarenteed European football. It could take years for them to get into Europe and even then it may not be every season.

By the time they got to Europe they could be a lot worse off than they are now.

And after you get past teams such as Aberdeen where would you put them? The Unibond? The bottom half of the Scottish first division would struggle in the Blue Square.

It'd be pointless, it'd still be dominated by the English teams

I agree they would be poor this is why you would have regional divisions and a pyramid like system with leagues lower than league 2

This is why I dont understand the old firm moaning about coming into the Premiership. In the SPL, they are guarenteed European football every season unless something drastic happens. They get a fair bit of money from that if they get into the Champions League.

If they came to the Premiership, they wouldnt be guarenteed European football. It could take years for them to get into Europe and even then it may not be every season.

By the time they got to Europe they could be a lot worse off than they are now.

But the chance of getting a team that can get as far as the QFs every few years is a lot better and more lucrative than being knocked out at the third qualifying round every year.

In fact finishing 16th and 17th every season is probably more lucrative than their current situation.

While the idea of "nation", "state" and "country" is rather blurred right now, England, Northern Ireland and Wales lack a government of their own (there is, of course, the UK government). You can't do diplomatic ties with the Home Nations separately. You can't do trade agreements. They're not nations in the sense that they are separate countries with working governments. They are slightly less autonomous than the individual states of the United States and nobody disputes the fact that all these states fall under the country that is United States of America.

Well not entirely, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own parliaments and governments. Of course overall rule is that of the UK government but they have a hell of a lot more power than you think. In fact the only 'home nation' that doesn't have it's own parliament is England and hasn't since 1707.

No but England is still a country mate.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

England (i /ˈɪŋɡlənd/) is a COUNTRY that is part of the United Kingdom.[6][7][8] It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

As I've said before the notion of "country", "state" and "nation" is very blur nowadays. But the fact remains that the Home Nations aren't sovereign states in the sense that they will not be recognised as countries to be dealt with in terms of foreign relations (i.e. France won't deal with England - it deals with the UK). There's no concept of "English citizenship".

Related to the OP the Home Nations aren't recognised as countries by FIFA - because they aren't actually nations with sovereign status. They are, however, given special privileges in FIFA's charter.

I suppose I could summarise it by saying that there are indeed "sovereign nation" "bits" which make England partly a sovereign state, but there are many things it lacks to count against it.

Well not entirely, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own parliaments and governments. Of course overall rule is that of the UK government but they have a hell of a lot more power than you think. In fact the only 'home nation' that doesn't have it's own parliament is England and hasn't since 1707.

That's true but I'd argue it's only slightly more powerful than the legal power the individual States of the United States have, and doesn't necessarily make the Home Nations "countries" as such.

You are comparing the Old Firm with their SPL money to the top 4 with their sky money.

You neglect to mention that things would be far different if both Old Firm teams had the same cash flow as United and Chelsea (etc.) from a tv rights and league prize money point of view.

Cost of tickets would also rise a lot, its only £22 roughly to see Rangers or Celtic play another SPL team, if they moved to the EPL then prices would rise and revenue would as well.

Im not saying they would waltz the EPL and be winning trophies left right and centre as soon as they got in, but they would be knocking on the top 4's door before too long.

I'm not actually sure you're getting the point. The Old Firm aren't going to magically turn into a good side with Sky money (it's not like every Premier League team has done so, right?). Even with Premier League money the Old Firm aren't going to turn into the revenue cash cows of Chelsea and Manchester United (who have amongst the largest revenues in the world).

From a transfers point of view, the Old Firm tends to deal with the lower half of the Premier League and the upper half of the Championship and to me that is an indication that the Old Firm would be at best mid-table in the Premier League. Not every team that is mid-table would push on to the top four with an additional £40m (or whatever the difference in revenues would be) - it took City nearly £200m to get to 5th!

Can I ask why you oppose the old firm joining the prem in my honest opinion I think you are scared because with the money of your teams both sides would become two of the best sides in the league.

My objection to the Old Firm joining the EPL is that they will be either expanding the league to 22 teams or they will end up taking away 2 places from championship teams who have fought and worked hard for the chance to play in the promised land. Why should the championship teams have to work for a place in the EPL yet the Old Firm should just be allowed a place there?

This is going very off topic. If you want to discuss this further, there was a thread in the Football Forum very recently on this topic.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=209638

As I've said before the notion of "country", "state" and "nation" is very blur nowadays. But the fact remains that the Home Nations aren't sovereign states in the sense that they will not be recognised as countries to be dealt with in terms of foreign relations (i.e. France won't deal with England - it deals with the UK). There's no concept of "English citizenship".

Related to the OP the Home Nations aren't recognised as countries by FIFA - because they aren't actually nations with sovereign status. They are, however, given special privileges in FIFA's charter.

I suppose I could summarise it by saying that there are indeed "sovereign nation" "bits" which make England partly a sovereign state, but there are many things it lacks to count against it.

That's true but I'd argue it's only slightly more powerful than the legal power the individual States of the United States have, and doesn't necessarily make the Home Nations "countries" as such.

ok mate. I do agree with you on this bit as you are right, despite not being a sovereign nation it is still a country.

back on topic now, I really don't think Celtic and Rangers would be title winners in the EPL but more Europa League entrants and eventually pushing for 4th Champions League spot.

22 years of age and this is first time I heard England is not a country:eek:.

Why not they play as Great Britain in World Cup. At least England will have good Gk in Shay Given

If I make a Wales team won the EPL, can I play in UCL ?

22 years of age and I just now know England is not a country:p

Wouldn't it be great if I you can make Wales team win English Premier League:D

There is other nation team in English premier league besides Wales ?

england is a country

england is a country

Not politically. Not more than California.

22 years of age and this is first time I heard England is not a country:eek:.

Why not they play as Great Britain in World Cup. At least England will have good Gk in Shay Given

If I make a Wales team won the EPL, can I play in UCL ?

It would be a United Kingdom team and not Great Britain...Great Britain is just the name for the Island which England, Scotland and Wales form. And they wouldn't have Shay Given!! He's from the Republic of Ireland which is an entirely different country and completely separate from the UK. It's probably one of the biggest insults you can say to an Irishmen calling them British! Northern Ireland is part of the UK though.

That said I would rather bite my own b*llocks off than ever support a team under the United Kingdom banner.

Not politically. Not more than California.

:confused::confused:

:confused::confused:

California is a 'state' which has some powers kept to itself, but it belongs to the USA and is not an independent nation.

England is part of the UK in the same way, but has some independent institutions and powers as well. But it is not a nation as in being able to become a UN or an EU member. That would have to be the UK.

Seeing England as an independent nation is a mistake many people make due to the UK being split into 4 teams in football.

22 years of age and this is first time I heard England is not a country:eek:.

Why not they play as Great Britain in World Cup. At least England will have good Gk in Shay Given

If I make a Wales team won the EPL, can I play in UCL ?

One problem there Given is from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, and therefore is ineligible for a UK team, unless he declared for one through the Granny Rule.

If a Welsh team won the EPL their qualification for the CL would be dependant on both the Welsh and English FA's. This is due to the fact that the Welsh teams playing in England are still under Welsh juristiction. Currently no-one is sure of the rules, as when Cardiff got to the cup final a few years back the FA was of the position that no Welsh team could qualify for Europe through an English competition. But due to UEFA pressure the FA backed down in the event of Cardiff winning the FA cup that year. They have not yet stated a final position.

There's also examples of teams playing in different countries (remember, "England" isn't a country, but for FIFA purposes the Home Nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are largely treated as separate "footballing nations"): FC Vaduz (based in Liechtenstein, play in Switzerland), Toronto FC (based in Canada, play in the United States) and San Marino Calcio (based in San Marino, play in Italy) and so on. Much of these require permission to do so and lots are based on historical reasons.

There's doubtless caveats about doing such a thing of course - for example, FC Vaduz will never be able to qualify for Europe via the Swiss League any time soon (they're in the wrong division and are not strong enough to stay in the top tier as it stands) but nevertheless they usually qualify for Europe via the Liechtenstein Cup as winners - so they actually play in two different countries!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_clubs_playing_in_the_league_of_another_country

Every Canadian team in major professional sports play in a pro-dominantly 'American' sports league. It's always been like that. If TFC were to play in the CSL (Canadian Soccer League) there would be absolutely no coverage at all. It's partly historical (NHL used to be an all-Canadian league with Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal) and partly because there's a lot more money in the states. All leagues except the NFL have Canadian teams.

FIFA has been pushing for the development of the CSL but it can only go so far. There's improvements but there just isn't enough money to further the development of Canadian soccer, and tbh the majority of Canadians (myself included) grew up playing hockey and watching hockey, and not watching soccer. A lot of Canadians love soccer (partly due to the different European nationalities in the country) but very few actually turn pro to play for a living.

I hope USSF has the common sense to allow TFC/Montreal/Vancouver to go to the Concacaf Champions League as an 'American' club if they ever win the MLS Cup because it wouldn't be fair if the MLS Cup winner lost in the Canadian Championship and couldn't qualify for the CCL.

I have to say england is a country ! how can it not be ? im scottish thats like saying scotland isnt a country ! mad

I can shed a little light on the welsh teams in the English leagues, to be very basic when Cardiff Swansea Wrexham etc etc were founded there was no welsh leagues so they were relocated to the English leagues, why they have not returned I can not answer.

I think the reason they haven't returned is simply to avoid a restructure of the English league system.

And England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are countries...just not an independent nation.

California is a 'state' which has some powers kept to itself, but it belongs to the USA and is not an independent nation.

England is part of the UK in the same way, but has some independent institutions and powers as well. But it is not a nation as in being able to become a UN or an EU member. That would have to be the UK.

Seeing England as an independent nation is a mistake many people make due to the UK being split into 4 teams in football.

Can't really say about the politics of it all, but I consider myself English, not British.

Someone from California would probably consider themselves American rather than Californian, hence the difference

Can't really say about the politics of it all, but I consider myself English, not British.

Someone from California would probably consider themselves American rather than Californian, hence the difference

I consider myself English, but legally there is no such thing as an English citizen anymore

I'm from the North East and have never lived outside of England but consider myself British, I always mark myself as a UK citizen on forms, not English. (I've noticed both choices appearing occasionally.)

Apparantly I'm ethnically Scottish, and aside from the jokes I like the Scottish, ditto Welsh and Irish.

In my opinion, politically the home nations are not countries. As mentioned they are similar to California and also the Basque region and Catalunya amongst others in Spain.

Socially and patriotically they are though - again the same with Catalunya and similar.

In football there are a number of teams that represent not nations but 'countries' and sometime regoins and territories within FIFA. The home nations form part of this. Interesting debate but in my opinion there is no argument to the contrary.

I'd love to see Celtic and Rangers in the English League system, but they should start in League 2 (or lower) and earn the right to compete with English teams.

I consider myself English, but legally there is no such thing as an English citizen anymore

Yes, thanks to all the immigrants that stay here for 5 years and then want to get a passport and become 'British Citizens'.

Im English and always will be. None of this British crap. If somebody calls me British they may as call me Scottish as far as im concerned.

If im filling out a form I always tick other and put English.

Yes, thanks to all the immigrants that stay here for 5 years and then want to get a passport and become 'British Citizens'.

Im English and always will be. None of this British crap. If somebody calls me British they may as call me Scottish as far as im concerned.

If im filling out a form I always tick other and put English.

For once, I'm not going to blame this on immigration, the British Password and Citizenship has been around for hundreds of years

Even though, if you want insult, for around 80 years (circa 18/19th) century the British Password was written purely in French and not English

For once, I'm not going to blame this on immigration, the British Password and Citizenship has been around for hundreds of years

Even though, if you want insult, for around 80 years (circa 18/19th) century the British Password was written purely in French and not English

I remember on forms when asking for nationality and ethnicity, more often than not I had the choice of English and White English. Then the pc brigade took over and it changed to British.

Now its my opinion that this was changed because the pc brigade didnt want to offend people (immigrants) that were British nationals but not English, Scottish, Welsh or N. Irish.

Im not BNP or anything like that and not a racist so dont get me wrong

I'd love to see Celtic and Rangers in the English League system, but they should start in League 2 (or lower) and earn the right to compete with English teams.

League 2 is farcical. How have they not earned their right? Look at Aberdeen in Europe in 1983/84, Celtic winning the European Cup in 1967, more recently losing to Porto in the UEFA Cup final in 2003. Rangers reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2008.

Remember, Liverpool only reached the semis of the UEFA Cup/Europa League this year.

Want to match them against Cheltenham and Barnet? I wouldn't like to see any team being shoved out of the prem because of Celtic and Rangers but you have to admit that they have the quality and perhaps more importantly, the support (have you ever been to Ibrox and Parkhead?) to compete in the EPL. Perhaps entry into the chamionship would be a more feasible solution.

League 2 is farcical. How have they not earned their right? Look at Aberdeen in Europe in 1983/84, Celtic winning the European Cup in 1967, more recently losing to Porto in the UEFA Cup final in 2003. Rangers reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2008.

They haven't "earned" anything in English football to deserve entering the Premier League immediately.

Rangers in 2008 aside, the Old Firm hasn't done much in Europe in recent years.

The Old Firm may want to join the Premier League, but the English clubs don't want them as a whole.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8353937.stm

Every Canadian team in major professional sports play in a pro-dominantly 'American' sports league. It's always been like that. If TFC were to play in the CSL (Canadian Soccer League) there would be absolutely no coverage at all. It's partly historical (NHL used to be an all-Canadian league with Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal) and partly because there's a lot more money in the states. All leagues except the NFL have Canadian teams.

FIFA has been pushing for the development of the CSL but it can only go so far. There's improvements but there just isn't enough money to further the development of Canadian soccer, and tbh the majority of Canadians (myself included) grew up playing hockey and watching hockey, and not watching soccer. A lot of Canadians love soccer (partly due to the different European nationalities in the country) but very few actually turn pro to play for a living.

I hope USSF has the common sense to allow TFC/Montreal/Vancouver to go to the Concacaf Champions League as an 'American' club if they ever win the MLS Cup because it wouldn't be fair if the MLS Cup winner lost in the Canadian Championship and couldn't qualify for the CCL.

I would think they would....although this may not be exactly correct...I would think about it along these lines....the US Open Cup champion goes to the CCL as the US Champion....the winner of the Canadian Championship (TFC, Montreal, Vancouver) goes as the Canadian Champion...and the MLS winner (and other MLS qualifiers based on league standing) go to the CCL as MLS qualifiers (regardless of them being US or Canadian)..so to speak.