Tuesday, 15th April, 2014
Celtic striker Antony Stokes has expressed his satisfaction at Rangers' return to the Championship in the Scottish league system.
Being relegated to the fourth tier in 2012 due to financial problems, Rangers managed to attain their second promotion in a row this year and will now play Championship football next year.
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It was only last month that Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell expressed his optimism about the possibility of Rangers' return to the top flight as a much stronger team.
And now with the idea moving closer to reality, the general notion is one of hope and expectation, with Old Firm derbies promising to soon be back on the agenda.
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"Some fans may disagree but it will be good for the whole of Scottish football", Stokes was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"It can only benefit the game when they do get back up.
"But, for the time being, it's a good chance for the other teams to try and compete."
Part of the Celtic team to just win the Scottish Premiership, Stokes now wants more competitive football to push the Bhoys to improve.
"We want as much competition as possible.
"We want to push ourselves to improve – if that means other teams improving or Rangers coming back into the league, so be it", the former Sunderland player added.
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