IF anyone needed any convincing about the argument for letting the 'Old Firm' join the Premiership then it came in the form of Aston Villa's languid visit to Ewood Park on Sunday.

Three days before, I'd seen Rovers run out at one of the finest stadia in the world to contest a game in front of 60,000 screaming Glaswegians.

The atmosphere was electric -- the kind that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

And what followed was a contest befitting of those magnificent surroundings as 22 players sweated blood and tears in a desperate attempt to win a football match.

After that, anything else was always going to seem rather tame in comparison but to say the mood was flat on Sunday must be the understatement of the year.

Fans and players alike struggled to raise themselves for a game which felt positively sterile in the wake of Thursday's drama.

It needed the visit of a Manchester United or a Liverpool to really stoke the fires once again.

But it's difficult to imagine even a contest like that rousing the kind of spirit and passion which had been in evidence three days earlier.

The visit to Parkhead certainly opened my eyes to the fact the Premiership needs Celtic and Rangers just as much as they need us.

With coverage reaching saturation point on telly, the integration of the Glasgow giants into the English game would add some extra spice to a product which is in danger of losing its sparkle if it throws up too many games like Sunday's.

Just imagine four matches a season against the Old Firm and all the extra interest that would generate.

For a start, it would guarantee two full houses at Ewood as opposed to the 23,000 hardy souls who turned up for Sunday's shenanigans.

Whether you like it or not, it's a fact that Rovers need to start filling Ewood more regularly than they do at the moment or the club faces the prospect of cutting back on wages which will only serve to diminish Graeme Souness's ability to compete in the transfer market.

So, if they can't make up the shortfall by increasing the number of home fans, then the only other alternative is to look at ways of filling the away end.

At the end of the day, people can moan all they want about the club's decision to give Celtic 7,000 tickets for the second leg but where are they when teams like Villa limp into town?

Some say it's now a case of 'when' rather than 'if' the Old Firm will join the Premiership.

But some clubs might take more convincing than others about the merits of such a move, especially if it makes the league more competitive thus increasing their own chances of being relegated in the process.

It's a bit like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas but there may come a time when it becomes a necessary step.

If it happens, then they should be made to start in the Nationwide League where their presence would help to breathe new life into a product which is in grave danger of dying on its feet financially.