The proposal to include Celtic and Rangers into a revamped Premier League will again raise its ugly head at Thursday's meeting of the 20 top flight clubs amid questions of who really stands to benefit from Scotland's so-called big two leaving the SPL for good.
The idea, first proposed by Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside last year, has been added to this week's agenda after Gartside softened his stance on what was a widely derided initiative when it was originally unveiled.
The Bolton chief had initially proposed that the current 20-team Premier League become a two-tier competition of 36 sides - including the Glaswegians - with no relegation to the depths of the Football League for the lucky invitees.
The top 36 would be the top 36 forever and the Premier League - the world's foremost domestic league by whichever parameters you choose - would share more similarities with US or Australian sport than the rest of the football world.
Gartside's amendment for this week's discussion would allow promotion from the Football League, albeit a restricted and strictly controlled olive branch where promoted clubs would be forced to prove their economic viability before entry was granted.
His reshaped plans would still, however, include Celtic and Rangers.
Old Firm DerbyBefore even tackling the idea of the Old Firm moving south, it's impossible not to overlook the huge degree of self-interest in Gartside's concept. His biggest gripe is that the usual suspects have locked up the Champions League spots where the real income is to be earned, and that clubs the size and financial muscle of Bolton can never even dream of completing the highest level.
Gartside also claims that the smaller Premiership sides are forced to spend more than they can afford (for instance, Bolton's net debts were revealed to be £64 in the last financial year) in a bid to remain in with a chance of gracing the top seven and prevent a revenue-sapping drop into the Championship.
Sharing the current Premier League pot across 36 rather than 20 teams would even out the financial playing field and avoid cultivating what he calls the "fear factor" among the bottom few. It might also, by the way, retain Bolton's 'Premier League' status for the foreseeable future too.
Gartside knows that with 14 Premier League clubs needing to accept his proposals to force the idea through, an extra sweetener to the deal was required. And that's where Rangers and Celtic become embroiled.
Under the proposals, the powerhouses of the Scottish game would rescind their involvement in the SPL and join the new look Premier League, most likely in the second tier.
Gartside has already gained a semblance of pre-meeting support from Everton manager David Moyes and Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill, both of who believe the idea has merit in terms of boosting revenue not to mention media and crowd interest.
Moyes also said it was a better scenario than the biggest Scottish clubs joining an Atlantic or European League.
Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager who's certainly more dispassionate than the starry-eyed Moyes and O'Neill, has also backed the plan, saying the spectacle of games would improve with their arrival.
Of course, both Walter Smith and Tony Mowbray have both recently said that their clubs must escape the SPL and its declining interest and lagging player quality, and have made no secret of their yearning to join a top table away from Scotland.
But why does the Premier League need to undergo such major redevelopment simply to accept the newcomers?
Welsh clubs already play in the English league, for instance, and that has not set a precedent for a more widespread amalgamation of the European leagues.
Can the Glasgow pair not just join the current English set-up in its current guise?
The question has to be why bother reshaping the most successful football product in the world for two teams who are barely likely to even challenge for the Europa League places anyway.
Indeed, recent performances at home and in Europe from Rangers and Celtic give little credibility to them being gifted a free ticket into the holy grail of the Premier League.
They must earn the right for a tilt at the Premiership title the same as everyone else.
So, assuming that the idea of a two-tier Premier League is brushed aside again this week, the more pressing long-term problem is how to merge the two clubs into the Football League, which currently has three equal-sized divisions of 24 teams.
It's debatable whether Celtic and Rangers, with their current set-ups, would manage to instantly progress out of the highly competitive English Championship given the opportunity. However, it would also seem folly to ask the pair to battle from League Two upwards.
One potential solution could see them given the opportunity to participate in the FA Cup to assess them against English opposition.
They could enter at the third round stage the same as all sides from the top two divisions, with a tiered ranking system in place to decide their ultimate league destination. Reach the semi-finals, say, and start off in the Championship, anything less and it's League One.
The relegation spots in the three leagues could then be adjusted over subsequent seasons with the aim of reinstating the current structure having full absorbed the Scottish giants.
On the plus side, if Celtic and Rangers are as strong as their massive support bases think they are, they'd be promoted into the top flight virtually straight away in either scenario.
Even in League One they'd face former glamour clubs such as Leeds United and Southampton in decent grounds with decent gates.
Anyway, how different would life in the lower leagues be from their current predicament in the much-maligned SPL?
And seeing Celtic and Rangers really earn their Premier League place - I'd pay to watch that.
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