McGhee warns of Irish-level fate

Aberdeen were knocked out of the Uefa Cup in 2000 by Bohemians

The Scottish Premier League is in danger of sinking to the level of the League of Ireland, according to Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee.

McGhee believes the Scottish top flight bore comparison with its English counterpart prior to the formation of England's Premier League in 1992.

But he said: "I think we now have to compare us with Championship clubs.

"And, if it keeps going the way it is, we could eventually be comparing it to - no disrespect - the Irish league."

The SPL had to accept a vastly reduced broadcasting deal from Sky/ESPN after the collapse of Setanta.

That contributed to the frustration of McGhee and other SPL managers during the summer in their search for new players after finding themselves outbid by clubs in England's lower leagues.

Celtic and Rangers were this week thwarted in their attempt to gain entry to England's Premier League as even the Old Firm find it ever more difficult to compete financially while remaining part of the SPL.

I think that Scottish football, the SPL and the other clubs need the Old Firm Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee

And McGhee insists that the SPL is now on a par with the Coca-Cola Championship and warned it would continue to fall further behind the English leagues if something was not done to arrest the slide.

"The English Premier League is now a world-class league; it's no longer a British-class league," the former Scotland striker told his club website.

"I'm not sure that I would, in my day, have got a game in the Premier League as it is today.

"As long as we keep eroding the financial side and they keep getting away from us, that is going to change again, and very soon we're going to be comparing it to League One."

However, McGhee reckons there is still time for something to be done to keep it on a level with the Championship.

"I think that involves a bit of change," he said. "Whether that involves summer football, I don't know. But I'd like someone to go and explore it scientifically.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Give your reaction to McGhee's vision of the future

"Then we can maybe make some decisions that would improve our lot and improve our chances of maintaining us at that sort of level, Championship level."

McGhee believes hope of that occurring has been boosted by the English Premier League's decision to reject the idea of embracing the Old Firm.

"I think that Scottish football, the SPL and the other clubs need the Old Firm," he added.

"It's a nonsense to think that we'd be better off without them."