Strachan: ‘Old Firm will leave Scotland in a decade’

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan believes the Old Firm clubs will be part of a European super league in ten years’ time.

Strachan, who also said he does not currently have the players of the necessary “intelligence or physique” to fulfil his vision, is convinced the day when Celtic and Rangers break away from Scottish domestic football is not too distant.

He does not see the Old Firm moving south to England to join the Premier League, though. He told the Soccerex conference in Manchester yesterday: “I don’t think they will move to the English Premier League. I think there will be two European leagues in ten years’ time or so and then Celtic and Rangers will be in it. It’s not the SFA’s opinion, it’s my opinion – I think 38 
(European) clubs will break away and make two divisions and the owners will do everything they can to get the sponsorship and TV money there.

“That’s the way I think Celtic and Rangers will eventually go, and we have to make sure Scottish football is in a healthy position before we get to that point.”

Strachan says his ambition is to produce Scottish football heroes again but admitted that the quality is not there yet. He added: “I took this job because I want to do something to put something back. It’s not a platform to do something else.

“I’ve been lucky and it’s time to put something back, I’m trying to give heroes back to the Scottish people as there were when I was growing up. We don’t have too many now. I want to bring through two or three young men who can be heroes in the future.”

Strachan said he was prepared to take criticism to get his vision secured. He said: “To get it right I may have to get a few slaps from the public or press and I have a vision of how I want to play but at the moment we don’t have players with the intelligence or physique to do that. I’m hoping in the next four or five years we can get two or three.”

Strachan said the Scotland job was “part-time in terms of hours but full-time in terms of stress” but that being manager of Celtic had prepared him for anything.

“My nerve endings have gone – once you are Celtic manager for four years you can do anything and even be Prime Minister after that job,” he added.