Not sure whether he's "having-a-larf" or not but former Latics defender Will Haining has admitted that he has been surprised by the high standard of Scottish football and he also claims many players in England would struggle north of the border. He told bbc.co.uk news the following:"I think if players were to come up here they would be surprised by the standard of the league. The SPL is a lot tougher than I thought. Living down in England, the general opinion about Scottish football is not a good one. They think the league is only about two teams and that it is a waste of time. It's physical, quick and you need to be at your best in every game, give 100% in every game, otherwise you will be found out."
Haining should know, his short pass-back being punished by Aberdeen in a 4-0 defeat a fortnight ago. And he knows there is no margin for error against Gretna on Saturday - a game that is already being billed as a relegation showdown.
"It's a big game and we all realise that because Gretna are in a similar position as ourselves. People have been saying it's a must-win, but they were saying that in only our third game of the season when we played Inverness. We are just approaching it in the same way we do all games and hopefully it will go the right way for us. If we win, we open a six-point gap on Gretna, but if they win then they draw level - but we'd like there to be that gap."
Now what was it that the English were saying about Scottish football...............?