Ben Foster Causes Meltdown With Controversial Claim About Celtic and Rangers

Ben Foster Causes Meltdown With Controversial Claim About Celtic and Rangers

Former England and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has sparked widespread backlash after suggesting that Rangers and Celtic would struggle badly if they were part of the English football system.

The ex-shot-stopper, who enjoyed a long career with clubs including Manchester United, Watford, Wrexham, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, claimed that both Glasgow giants would be relegated from the Championship if they entered the English pyramid.

His comments, made on an episode of his Fozcast podcast, did not go down well with supporters of either club.

While debating how the Old Firm might fare south of the border, Foster bluntly stated that he believes they would “go straight down,” leaving his co-hosts visibly surprised.

He went on to dismiss the idea that Rangers or Celtic could become Premier League title contenders within a decade.

Foster also argued that any proposal to bring the Scottish clubs into the English system would be rejected, insisting it would cause significant damage to Scottish football while creating further competition for existing English clubs.

“There’s no way on this earth they’d be allowed to come down here,” he said.
“It would ruin Scottish football, for one.

And clubs in the Premier League and Championship would be thinking, ‘Why would we bring more big teams in to compete with us and potentially knock us out of the Premier League?’”

Expanding on his view, Foster questioned whether either side currently has a squad capable of earning promotion from the Championship.

When it was suggested that both clubs could be established Premier League top-six teams within 15 years, he doubled down.

“From the start, they’d struggle,” he insisted.

Unsurprisingly, the comments triggered a fierce reaction online, with fans of both Rangers and Celtic flooding the comments section to challenge Foster’s claims.

One supporter argued that financial power would quickly change the picture:
“Put Celtic into that league with the money involved and it wouldn’t take long for them to be challenging.

With the right people making recruitment decisions, it becomes incredibly attractive. Very few clubs in England can match the passion of Celtic and Rangers fans.”

Another fan questioned Foster’s understanding of modern football economics:
“Does Ben Foster understand how money works in football?

If Rangers and Celtic had access to the same finances as English clubs, of course they’d get out of the Championship. How can Bournemouth be a Premier League club but the Old Firm supposedly couldn’t?”

Others were more blunt in their criticism, with one writing:
“Ben saying they’d be relegated just shows the warped, ignorant English football mindset.”

A final comment summed up the wider sentiment:
“There isn’t a single Championship club bigger than Celtic or Rangers in terms of history, fanbase or infrastructure. Do you really think players would rather join Middlesbrough than Celtic?

The only reason players leave Scotland is because there’s a ceiling on money and trophies. Put either club into the English leagues and that ceiling disappears within a few years.”