von danrik » Mi 1. Sep 2010, 15:38
DERMOT Desmond dreams of the day Celtic and Rangers take their place in the English Premiership and insists he will not rest until it comes true.
The Parkhead majority shareholder has no qualms about leaving Scottish football behind, believing they will thrive in the Old Firm's absence.
Desmond, who admits he wakes up every morning thinking about Celtic, is convinced his club and their bitter rivals would enhance what is widely regarded as the best league in the world.
And, at the same time, the Irish billionaire is adamant both the SPL and the national team will benefit if the Glasgow giants get their wish to move south of the border. Desmond said: "The Premiership would never have been founded 20 years ago but it has turned into a great success.
"I'm a believer if you have content and tradition like Celtic and Rangers have then they add something to the Premier League.
"I think it will be good for football in Scotland, for football in England, in Britain and in Europe.
"If it is something that betters all the leagues I don't see why I should give up and say 'no, it will not happen'. I think there is a huge mis-match in investment in Scotland.
"The budget Celtic and Rangers have dwarfs the budgets of the other clubs. It is very hard for the other clubs to compete although they do compete very well with the funds available.
"If Celtic and Rangers moved south it would enable those clubs to be more competitive and not to have the financial pressures because Celtic and Rangers are in their league.
"I think Celtic and Rangers bringing up the Arsenals, the Uniteds, the Liverpools, the Manchester Citys and the Spurs will encourage and develop football in Scotland.
"If you see these great Premiership players playing on a weekly basis it will improve and encourage more Scottish people to play football. I think it will also give Scotland a greater identity."
In a rare and revealing interview the Celtic powerbroker admitted the club is always foremost in his thoughts despite having other business interests which have helped him amass a ÂŁ1.5billion fortune.
The Cork-born tycoon has developed a strong emotional attachment with his boyhood heroes since gaining a 37 per cent stake in the Glasgow giants.
Desmond plans to pass on his shareholding to his children although stresses he will not allow his heart to rule his head by running up huge debts in a bid to buy success.
He said: "Celtic is an emotional investment. When you wake up in the morning you start thinking about the club, especially in the transfer window.
"The transfer window is always intensive because there is a lot of activity so your mind is concentrated on that. Having an input into the decisions you have to inform yourself and do a bit of research to see what is happening out there.
"You have to divide it into two. If it is an emotional investment this is an investment where you are saying you don't want to make a return.
"At the same time it is a legacy thing. I hope that my shareholding will be left to my children or to some people who have an interest in maintaining or developing Celtic.
"So it's not something I want to realise as a financial gain but if it's a legacy thing you have to make sure you are creating a proper organisation and also balancing the books.
"You can't leave a legacy if it's going to be in a deficit or leave debt and other liabilities. You need a strong board and chief executive who can disassociate themselves from media pressure and fan pressure.
"There are emotive and short-term pressures to buy success and that when you buy success it will redeem some of the investment you have put in.
"I don't necessarily agree with that as that is a short-term policy. A lot of clubs have done that in the Championship, the Premiership and the SPL and it has jeopardised the stability of those clubs.
"There can be a personal element when they are confronted by supporters and they feel for their egos they should invest monies they will never recoup."
Desmond was at the helm during the Martin O'Neill years and played a major part in the success under Gordon Strachan. But while he admits to a degree of culpability over the disastrous Tony Mowbray era he feels he can't win with a section of fans who give him pelters.
He said: "It is continuous (the abuse). If I had fortunes of all the owners in the Premiership it wouldn't be enough to invest in the club and get success.
"I'm continually splashing the cash and investing money and I try to explain I'm a supporter like them. I see the same match, I get the same enjoyment and pain out of results.
"The fans agenda is they want the club to succeed. They are not really interested in how much is being spent as long as success is brought.
"If the club has success then it's the managers and players who get the praise, never the shareholders or the board. In fact they are criticised when we win and when we lose.
"You try to pick the best manager you think will do a good job and recruit players to build a strong team but you are not always right when making those decisions."