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The name Old Firm (sometimes called the Auld Firm) is a collective term for the Glaswegian football clubs, Rangers and Celtic. Its modern usage is generally as a neutral shorthand for the two clubs, for example when describing their derby matches. Its origin, however, is as a pejorative term to imply that the two clubs are running the scene, together, against the wishes of the other clubs in Scotland. The term is derived from the lucrative nature of contests between the two, and the suspicion that the clubs have colluded to ensure their profitability, at the expense of other teams.
The two clubs are easily the most successful in Scotland, having won between them 63 Scottish Cups and 91 League championships (as of 2006). Interruptions to their ascendancy have occurred infrequently, most recently with the challenge of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United in the first half of the 1980s. Starting with the 1995-96 season, the Old Firm clubs finished in the top two places in every season until 2005-06, when Hearts finished second behind Celtic. Some have argued that the combination of the clubs' large supports - which far outweigh those of other Scottish clubs - and the revenue they derive from regular European football means that the Scottish Premier League has become more unbalanced, and less competitive, than ever before.
The result of the combination of the two clubs' dominance of Scottish football, and their significance in social, cultural and political terms, is that both Celtic and Rangers are prominent institutions in Scottish life to a degree beyond what would be expected for large football clubs elsewhere in Britain.
Rivalry
The competition between the two clubs has its roots in more than just a simple athletic rivalry. It is infused with a series of complex disputes centred on religion (Catholic and Protestant) and Northern Ireland politics. The result has been an enduring enmity between fans that has extended beyond the kind of intra-city footballing rivalry that might be expected in situations where two clubs dominate a country's footballing scene. This has been manifested in a history laden with sectarian violence, sometimes leading to deaths.
Increasingly in recent years, both clubs have frequently participated in initiatives and campaigns along with religious organisations and the Scottish Executive directed at removing the sectarian undercurrent, including supporting pressure group Nil by Mouth. However, disagreements about what constitutes sectarian behaviour have undermined progress in these matters, and consensus over what types of songs and flags are acceptable remains difficult to achieve.
The two clubs normally compete four times a year in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) and are frequently drawn against each other in various Cup competitions.
Scotland and the Old Firm
The other clubs in Scottish football have traditionally had fewer football successes (except for a brief period in the 1980s), supporters and money than the Old Firm. This has led to some acrimony between these teams and the Old Firm. However it has been said that the presence of Rangers and Celtic itself is worth £120 million to the Scottish economy *, and if the two clubs left the Scottish league system (see below), that the clubs and Scotland as a whole would lose out.
Old Firm plans to join the English Premiership
Both Celtic and Rangers have expressed a desire to leave the Scottish league system and become part of the English Premiership. Both clubs currently receive less in television revenue than many English clubs with significantly smaller fan bases. A move to the Premiership would give both Old Firm clubs a significant financial boost. This, however, is not the wish of most clubs in the Premiership: the smaller clubs fear their displacement and consequent loss of revenue; the larger clubs fear a reduced potential for qualification for European competitions. Some clubs in the Championship have also argued against this move on the grounds that it would reduce their chances of promotion to the Premiership. It is a common view amongst most english supporters that if the old firm were to join the english football league hierarchy that they should have to start at the bottom level as all clubs entering the league do to make it fair, this would obviously not be financially beneficial to either club and if given as a clause for them switching would most likely deter them as it would take them 9 years minimum to reach the premiership. However if a British FA was established it would be possible for a league shake up would allow the Scottish and English teams to compete together. A possible scenario could be if the gulf in quality of Englands top clubs such as Chelsea FC continued the Old Firm could be asked to compete in England to make the league more competitive.
Reports have suggested that Premiership clubs voted 20 - 0 in 2004 to reject the Old Firm's admission to the Premiership. Other reports have suggested a greater willingness, notably on the part of the larger clubs, to recruit the Old Firm, principally as a means of making television rights more lucrative. However, regardless of the level of support from English clubs, a remaining stumbling block is that both national football associations, (the Scottish Football Association & The Football Association), and Europe's governing body (UEFA), have to agree to the switch. In this light, it is unlikely that either Rangers or Celtic will be playing in the Premiership in the foreseeable future. Several high profile players have expressed thier willingness for the Old Firm to compete in England such as Alan Shearer,Roy Keane,Terry Butcher and David Beckham.
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