Souness says Old Firm must move

Graeme Souness' Newcastle progressed in the Uefa Cup

Former Rangers manager Graeme Souness believes the Old Firm will always be European also-rans as long as they continue to play in Scotland.

Celtic and Rangers, plus Hearts, failed to make it through to the knock-out stages of the Uefa Cup.

And Souness told BBC Sport: "Rangers and Celtic are enormous football clubs.

"And I think for them to do well at the highest levels in Europe they have to be playing their football week in, week out in this league down here."

Souness' Newcastle United side progressed from their Uefa Cup group with some ease, but he believes that the Old Firm would soon be at a similar level if they moved to the English Premiership.

"With the support base both clubs have, they could be a big success," he said.

I think Hearts would be better than most of the teams in the Championship Leicester manager Craig Levein

"The money that they would generate would enable them to attract top men from other parts of Europe.

"Players want to play in the English Premiership."

That desire could lead to France defender Jean-Alain Boumsong leaving Rangers for Newcastle after only arriving at Ibrox from Auxerre in the summer.

Rangers are holding out for more than the £7.5m offered by Newcastle, but the Uefa Cup exit could hasten Boumsong's departure.

Former Hearts head coach Craig Levein, who moved to the Coca-Cola Championship with Leicester City in November, is convinced his former club would also profit from a move south.

"I think Hearts would be better than most of the teams in the Championship, where the standard isn't brilliant," he said.

"Celtic and Rangers would certainly be midway up the English Premiership and I would think Hearts would win this league.

"The Premiership is exceptional, but this league isn't."

But Celtic manager Martin O'Neill fears it will be a long time before another Scottish club reaches a European final.

"Scottish teams do not contest UEFA or Champions League finals too often so when it comes around it has to be savoured, but I know from our own experience how difficult these games are," he said.

"We almost did it again - we got to the quarter-finals last year, so our own particular record in European football over the last couple of years has been pretty creditable.

"The bottom line is that there is no European football for any SPL club after Christmas, so make of that what you will."