Super League will never go away - Celtic's and Rangers' antennae will twitch, as will Hearts', Hibs' and Aberdeen's

One thing is clear from a resuscitated bid to form a so-called European Super League: these attempts will never go away.

Celtic and Rangers are likely to be targets of an expanded Super League, while Hearts could also be of interest.

"The walking corpse ... twitches again," was how Football Supporters' Association chief executive Kevin Miles greeted the latest news. The prospect will be with us until the concept is actually signed, sealed and ready to kick-off, with new specially commissioned overwrought classical anthem blaring tinnily from stadium speakers.

It’s not the Champions League but it is the Champions League. It’s Zadok the Priest’s new clothes. But few are rejoicing. No one can really believe that a multi-division, pan-European league competition, comprising a minimum of 14 matches per club, is the way forward, especially at a time when clubs are meant to be becoming more environmentally conscious. As Duncan Ferguson recently pointed out after his unveiling at Forest Green Rovers: “The earth’s warming up, isn’t it?”

Forest Green Rovers aren't likely to be one of the team’s originally invited to join. Who knows what the criteria will be? But the premise does seem very clear: offer as many teams as possible a slice of the pie. The number of clubs reported to be involved could reach as many as 80. That’s enough to form four divisions of 20 clubs, which is reportedly the format being proposed. Not only will Rangers and Celtic's antennae be twitching, so, too, those of the likes of Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen: '80 teams? That could be us.'

Dave Cormack might well use it to try and sell the idea of Aberdeen to the club's latest managerial targets following Jim Goodwin's exit. Dwight Yorke has already been quoted as saying he could take Aberdeen to the final of the Europa League. Even this pledge could quickly become dated if plans to create a new European midweek competition can avoid the outraged backlash that quashed an earlier guerrilla attempt by 12 clubs to form a European Super League. Nine swiftly found the reverse gear.

The three who remained – Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid – are driving this latest idea, which has been tailored to make it more palatable. “Participation should be based on annual sporting merit,” is the relevant line in the new 29-page document prepared by A22 Sports Management. One of the main flaws on which the most recent Super League proposal foundered was its intended closed-shop nature. Once you were in, you were in. No thank you, said football fans.

It's clear the new proposals are trying far harder to appeal to supporters. Financial sustainability rules, for example, will be implemented – a relevant detail given recent charges brought against Manchester City by the English Premier League. There have been talks with 50 European clubs and football stakeholders. It’s hard to imagine Rangers and Celtic not being involved in these discussions.

A22 Sports Management are a Madrid-based sister company of the Super League. Concern in the heart of Europe at the might of the English Premier League is very real. The value of English transfers in the recent window completely dwarfed the rest of Europe combined. Twenty years ago, Barcelona and Real Madrid were the super clubs. They still are in terms of reputation but the only thing truly exceptional about them now is how dire their finances are.

Will the likes of Manchester United, themselves loaded with debt, want to be part of their bail-out plans? Maybe not. Rangers and Celtic? Perhaps.