It’s the age old debate anytime there is some kind of comparision or situation involving clubs north and south of the border.
Rangers or Villa – Who is the bigger club? How is that even defined? How can you even compare clubs in two vastly different leagues?
Yes, with Steven Gerrard’s move to Aston Villa, the argument is back and forth between Rangers and Villa fans as to who is the bigger club.
An unlikely ally stepped forward today in the form of John Hartson, with the former Celtic striker also doubting whether the move was in the best interests of the now departed Gers boss – as he went on to deliver an emphatic remark regarding the stature of the Ibrox club.
“People down south are saying that Aston Villa is a bigger club than Rangers,’ he said. ‘Rangers would fit Aston Villa in their back pocket.”
‘No disrespect. Aston Villa have won a European Cup, but Rangers and Celtic are massive clubs,” as reported by the Daily Mail.
Hartson went further to scrutinise the timing of the move, suggesting that Rangers and the fans have a right to feel let down, to an extent, despite the league success that was delivered last season.
The Welshman who only never signed for Rangers due to a failed medical in the days of Dick Advocaat added,
“I genuinely felt he would have stayed at Rangers, I’m not saying Steven hasn’t got integrity – I think he is a man of integrity and morals and loyalty.”
“He won the biggest title possibly that Rangers needed to win over the last ten or 15 years, which was stopping Celtic.”
“I just thought he would have shown a bit of loyalty to Rangers having given him that chance.”
Contrasts
The reasons and the merits for Gerrard’s switch will rumble on for a while, but the move is done and both parties go their separate ways, with Rangers now aiming to move fast to secure his successor.
As for the bigger club debate? How can that possibly be a fair comparison in modern terms given the different budgets and income streams that both clubs operate under. No doubt Villa are a relatively big club in English terms but how much so outside Birmingham?
Regardless, it’s often a bit of fun and a debate in which each set of fans involved is adamant that they have the upper hand.
Villa now aim for Premier League safety and maybe a top half finish, whilst Rangers go for further silverware and a shot at the Europa League knock-out rounds.
How the other half live!