Toby Sibbick has urged people in England to “educate” themselves on Scottish football rather than dismissing it as no good.
The Hearts star has experienced the Championship and League One with Barnsley and AFC Wimbledon respectively. He got his first taste of top flight action in Scotland three years ago, then returned to Tynecastle on a permanent basis in January 2022.
Having sampled both, Sibbick is well placed to make a comparison. Often, those who pay no attention to anything outside the English game tend to combine an over-inflated opinion of its standard with an arrogantly sneering view on football north of the border. Confidently predicted their grannies, or “nan” as the cliche goes, could do a job in the SPFL. But Sibbick has slammed such narrow mindedness and warns that Celtic, Rangers or Hearts would more than hold their own against teams in the Championship and beat plenty of them.
“In England, there are four tiers,” he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “There are some really good teams in League One, like Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County. Sunderland were in there for a long time as well. They struggled to get from League One into the Championship.
“If, let’s say Celtic, Rangers or even us to an extent, were to face some Championship teams, I do think we would give them a good game and beat them. Down south, I think they are still a bit stuck in that mindframe. If you actually watch the games and do some education on yourself, you will realise that there is quality up here.
“When this move came about, my family wanted me to do it. They know what’s at stake up here. You can win the Scottish Cup, you can compete in Europe and stuff like that. A lot of people look from the outside at Scottish football and might not think it’s a good standard.
“Every week you are playing against different opponents who ask different questions. Anyone can really beat anyone in this league. For me, I just need to stay switched on, stay in the team and do the best I can to help us keep doing well.”
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