Scottish Premier League club Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond "admitted Scottish football needs Rangers back in the SPL as soon as possible," according to Scott McDermott of the Scottish DAILY RECORD. His comments "are in stark contrast" to those of Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell who claimed that the club "didn’t need their Old Firm rivals." Back in February, Lawwell said: "We’ll survive very well. There will be no material impact on our business going forward," before the club hit out at First Minister Alex Salmond for claiming Celtic "can’t prosper unless Rangers are there." Desmond, though, is adamant Rangers will not "be out of the top flight for too long," while insisting that their history and traditions "are key to the Scottish game." Desmond: "Rangers are a fantastic club with a great history. They will, in not too long a time, be back in the SPL. I have no doubt about that. And they’re needed for Scottish football because of their following, the size of the club and especially their history. We certainly would like to contest with them every week. We believe we have a better team and management structure" (DAILY RECORD, 10/4).
