A Scottish Rangers XI

Players I have seen in the 1-11 style I was brought up on : -
Andy Goram
Sandy Jardine
Eric Caldow
John Greig
Derek Johnstone
Jim Baxter
Willie Henderson
Ian McMillan
Ally McCoist
Alex Macdonald
Davie Wilson

Players who my grandfather, my Dad and I have seen :-

Jerry Dawson
Sandy Jardine
Eric Caldow
Davie Meiklejohn
Jimmy Simpson
Jim Baxter
Willie Waddell
Andy Cunningham
Willie Thornton
Bob McPhail
Alan Morton
 
Based on my lifetime only I can’t justifiably argue for players before my time.

4-3-3, feel like this has quite a nice balance

Goram

Hutton
Gough
Weir
Robertson

B Ferguson
I Ferguson
Durrant

Cooper
McCoist
Naismith
 
I'll go on the basis of those who I've saw play for the famous....

Mcgregor

Hutton
Gough
Weir
Robertson

McCall
B Ferguson
Durrant
Cooper

McCoist
K Miller

Was toying with Goram
 
Based on players I've seen play;

Goram
Jardine
Gough
Dave Smith
Greig
Souness
Durrant
Ian Ferguson
Cooper
McCoist
DJ

Subs
McGregor
Forsyth
Barry Ferguson
Alex Mcdonald
Stein
 
A smtricky one for us youngins. Taking it from the late 90s if have Walter managing:

McGregor

Hutton - Gough - Weir - Stevie Smith

Burke - Ferguson - thompson - McCann

McCoist - Boyd

Subs:
Goram
Hendry
Whittaker
McCulloch
Durrant
Wright (had to have a 55-er in it).
Miller

I'll have forgotten someone obvious no doubt. Couldn't think of a more acceptable left back in my time, but at the same time, I put in Smith in terms of what may have been had he not got injured. And whilst I have 2 strikers who broke scoring records... Realistically they would have been a terrible partnership!
 
bilkobear said:
The difficulty with Scottish caps is that at different times they are easier to gain than at others.
However, it hasn't affected this eleven who were all recognised Rangers greats.
The other problem is that players from the very early days have few remaining modern reservoirs of recognition from which to stake their claims.
Caps also back then were few and far between.
So no Neilly Gibson for instance.
However, my own father would have liked that side although he would argue that Bob McPhail is a glaring omission and he had lived to watch Super Ally and to make the comparison.
Click to expand...
That is a very fair point you make Bilko.
Back in those days, we only played 3 Internationals a season for the most part
I did consider Neilly Gibson, but Baxter gets that spot for me.
Alec Smith is another prime example, he had a 13 year Scotland career (1898-1911),
winning 20 Caps, which back then had to be a significant number,
but I could not leave out the Wee Blue Devil.
Bob McPhail is another great shout. He had a 9 year Scotland career, earning just 16 Caps
(Crazy to think he won fewer caps than Gordon Durie (18) did at Rangers in a 4 year spell)!
In my lifetime, Jim Forrest is our most prolific goalscorer, miles ahead of McCoist in goals to games ratio, and one could argue that Jimmy Millar, Derek Johnstone, and possibly even Colin Stein were better all round Centre Forwards than McCoist, but Ally is the most Capped Ranger (59) of all time, so I gave him the nod at Centre Forward.
Jimmy Simpson, won 14 consecutive Caps, and was Scotland's Captain in 13 of them,
which is just one more than the 13 Caps, Maurice Fuckin' Ross collected in 2002-03!

Rangers have furnished Scotland with more players (156) than any other club, but if you take a look at the 5 most Prolific Goalscorers that Rangers have had in their history, as in Goals to Games ratio, not one of them won more than 10 Caps for their Country
Jimmy Smith (2), Jim Forrest (2), Willie Reid (9), Jimmy Fleming (3), RC Hamilton (10)

So after that rant, let's be having your XI :))
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
That is a very fair point you make Bilko.
Back in those days, we only played 3 Internationals a season for the most part
I did consider Neilly Gibson, but Baxter gets that spot for me.
Alec Smith is another prime example, he had a 13 year Scotland career (1898-1911),
winning 20 Caps, which back then had to be a significant number,
but I could not leave out the Wee Blue Devil.
Bob McPhail is another great shout. He had a 9 year Scotland career, earning just 16 Caps
(Crazy to think he won fewer caps than Gordon Durie (18) did at Rangers in a 4 year spell)!
In my lifetime, Jim Forrest is our most prolific goalscorer, miles ahead of McCoist in goals to games ratio, and one could argue that Jimmy Millar, Derek Johnstone, and possibly even Colin Stein were better all round Centre Forwards than McCoist, but Ally is the most Capped Ranger (59) of all time, so I gave him the nod at Centre Forward.
Jimmy Simpson, won 14 consecutive Caps, and was Scotland's Captain in 13 of them,
which is just one more than the 13 Caps, Maurice Fuckin' Ross collected in 2002-03!

Rangers have furnished Scotland with more players (156) than any other club, but if you take a look at the 5 most Prolific Goalscorers that Rangers have had in their history, as in Goals to Games ratio, not one of them won more than 10 Caps for their Country
Jimmy Smith (2), Jim Forrest (2), Willie Reid (9), Jimmy Fleming (3), RC Hamilton (10)

So after that rant, let's be having your XI :))
Click to expand...
Let me have a think about it Mo.
I will try and put one together with 11 different players.
 
From the players I’ve seen in the flesh:

Goram
Brown Gough Weir Robertson
Durrant B. Ferguson I. Ferguson McCann
McCoist D. Ferguson
 
Only players I've seen live, and only selecting players based on their performances since I started attending games (97-98 - so I've seen the likes of Durrant, McCoist, Goram, but their performances in that season wouldn't get them in ahead of the guys I've picked).

McGregor; Hutton, Weir, Gough, Wallace; Ferguson, Thomson, Jack; McCann, Boyd, Miller

Genuinely can't think of a decent Scottish CH to pair with Weir other than Gough off the back of his 97-98 season. That's pretty terrible to be honest. Actually come to think of it, Scotland hasn't really produced many good CHs in that time.
 
Based on reputation/achievements:

Dawson

Jardine
Meiklejohn
Gough
Caldow

Archibald
Greig
Baxter
Morton

McPhail
McCoist
 
MearnsUnionist said:
Webster, mate?????
Click to expand...
I meant to swap him out for 2010 Danny Wilson, but the damage has been done and it’s been up for too long.

Only other Scottish centre half I can think of during my time has been Broadfoot, and due to him playing right back mostly I chose to leave him out.

Us young ‘ins have been spoiled :))
 
erskine bear said:
I meant to swap him out for 2010 Danny Wilson, but the damage has been done and it’s been up for too long.

Only other Scottish centre half I can think of during my time has been Broadfoot, and due to him playing right back mostly I chose to leave him out.

Us young ‘ins have been spoiled :))
Click to expand...
You'd have been better with David Bates! o_O
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
That is a very fair point you make Bilko.
Back in those days, we only played 3 Internationals a season for the most part
I did consider Neilly Gibson, but Baxter gets that spot for me.
Alec Smith is another prime example, he had a 13 year Scotland career (1898-1911),
winning 20 Caps, which back then had to be a significant number,
but I could not leave out the Wee Blue Devil.
Bob McPhail is another great shout. He had a 9 year Scotland career, earning just 16 Caps
(Crazy to think he won fewer caps than Gordon Durie (18) did at Rangers in a 4 year spell)!
In my lifetime, Jim Forrest is our most prolific goalscorer, miles ahead of McCoist in goals to games ratio, and one could argue that Jimmy Millar, Derek Johnstone, and possibly even Colin Stein were better all round Centre Forwards than McCoist, but Ally is the most Capped Ranger (59) of all time, so I gave him the nod at Centre Forward.
Jimmy Simpson, won 14 consecutive Caps, and was Scotland's Captain in 13 of them,
which is just one more than the 13 Caps, Maurice Fuckin' Ross collected in 2002-03!

Rangers have furnished Scotland with more players (156) than any other club, but if you take a look at the 5 most Prolific Goalscorers that Rangers have had in their history, as in Goals to Games ratio, not one of them won more than 10 Caps for their Country
Jimmy Smith (2), Jim Forrest (2), Willie Reid (9), Jimmy Fleming (3), RC Hamilton (10)

So after that rant, let's be having your XI :))
Click to expand...
As sad a day as it has been, I decided to take my mind off things and knock out a team that never used any of your already mentioned greats.
Being Rangers, it wasn't difficult finding candidates, the difficulty was in eliminating so many who had such tempting credentials.
However, I wanted to make it a team that would work on the field and that represented all that is finest in our long history.

Goalkeeper Alan McGregor, Jerry Dawson almost made it, but I wanted a representative from last season which was a historical landmark and Alan was the natural candidate.
Right Back Dougie Gray. This was fairly easy and although it meant ignoring the enormous claims of Nicol Smith, I have always been amazed by Dougie's longevity as a Rangers player. But for the war, his records would be much better known and celebrated.
Left Back Sammy Cox. Could easily have been Jock Drummond and I was tempted by the pairing of Jock and Nicol, but I always remember my father telling me what a good footballer Sammy was and of course Sammy often played further up the park, plus it gives the Iron Curtain defence a presence.
Right CB Richard Gough. Not much needs to be said about Richard, other than he could easily have been in your own team or indeed any Rangers best eleven.
Left CB. Davie Smith. ECWC winner and certainly the most intelligent Scottish footballer I ever saw. Would walk into the Rangers team today and take us to another European final.
Right Midfield/Wing Sandy Archibald. So many candidates, but for me, Sandy's record says it all. Power, shooting and running and of course a real finisher. Sandy of course represents a Rangers era that may well have been the club's greatest.
Centre Midfield. Ian McColl. Often overlooked, Ian was a holding midfielder before the term was invented. A ball winner who could pass like an inside forward.
Centre Midfield Neilly Gibson. Representing the great late-Victorian all-conquering Rangers team, Neilly was the Brazilian of his day, before any Brazilian had kicked a ball in earnest.
Left Midfield/Wing Davie Cooper. I had to get Coop into the team and as I have always maintained, Coop was really a midfielder who played out wide. What a foil for Sandy's all-powerful right side running.
Forward Derek Johnstone. Easily the most talented all-around player of his Rangers generation, Derek was the best header of a football I ever saw and as a goalscorer, well look at his record and remember he didn't always feature in the forward line.
Forward Bob McPhail. If I recall correctly the title of his life story was Legend. My father would have said Bob was understating himself in the book title.

Team in 442 setting

McGregor
Gray D
Gough
Smith D
Cox
Archibald
McColl I
Gibson
Cooper
Johnstone D
McPhail

Right Mo get your lads on the park, I am having Walter as my manager, I fancy our chances. :p
 
bilkobear said:
As sad a day as it has been, I decided to take my mind off things and knock out a team that never used any of your already mentioned greats.
Being Rangers, it wasn't difficult finding candidates, the difficulty was in eliminating so many who had such tempting credentials.
However, I wanted to make it a team that would work on the field and that represented all that is finest in our long history.

Goalkeeper Alan McGregor, Jerry Dawson almost made it, but I wanted a representative from last season which was a historical landmark and Alan was the natural candidate.
Right Back Dougie Gray. This was fairly easy and although it meant ignoring the enormous claims of Nicol Smith, I have always been amazed by Dougie's longevity as a Rangers player. But for the war, his records would be much better known and celebrated.
Left Back Sammy Cox. Could easily have been Jock Drummond and I was tempted by the pairing of Jock and Nicol, but I always remember my father telling me what a good footballer Sammy was and of course Sammy often played further up the park, plus it gives the Iron Curtain defence a presence.
Right CB Richard Gough. Not much needs to be said about Richard, other than he could easily have been in your own team or indeed any Rangers best eleven.
Left CB. Davie Smith. ECWC winner and certainly the most intelligent Scottish footballer I ever saw. Would walk into the Rangers team today and take us to another European final.
Right Midfield/Wing Sandy Archibald. So many candidates, but for me, Sandy's record says it all. Power, shooting and running and of course a real finisher. Sandy of course represents a Rangers era that may well have been the club's greatest.
Centre Midfield. Ian McColl. Often overlooked, Ian was a holding midfielder before the term was invented. A ball winner who could pass like an inside forward.
Centre Midfield Neilly Gibson. Representing the great late-Victorian all-conquering Rangers team, Neilly was the Brazilian of his day, before any Brazilian had kicked a ball in earnest.
Left Midfield/Wing Davie Cooper. I had to get Coop into the team and as I have always maintained, Coop was really a midfielder who played out wide. What a foil for Sandy's all-powerful right side running.
Forward Derek Johnstone. Easily the most talented all-around player of his Rangers generation, Derek was the best header of a football I ever saw and as a goalscorer, well look at his record and remember he didn't always feature in the forward line.
Forward Bob McPhail. If I recall correctly the title of his life story was Legend. My father would have said Bob was understating himself in the book title.

Team in 442 setting

McGregor
Gray D
Gough
Smith D
Cox
Archibald
McColl I
Gibson
Cooper
Johnstone D
McPhail

Right Mo get your lads on the park, I am having Walter as my manager, I fancy our chances. :p
Click to expand...
That's a seriously impressive team you put together there Sir!
Given that I got the benefit of first pick, I think it's only fair that I give you a 2 goal start ;)

Interesting that you have Walter as your manager.
He has direct links to almost half your team, stretching back six decades.
Dave Smith a class act we signed in the 1960's, actually lined up against Walter Smith in our first game following the disaster in January 16th 1971, in a 1-1 Draw at Ibrox.
Alongside Walter Smith in the Dundee Utd side that day were ex Rangers players Davy Wilson and Alex Reid (who scored their goal), and their Captain Doug Smith (600+ Games), who was the brother of our own Dave Smith
Derek Johnstone our greatest player of the 1970's, was also in the Rangers side that day.
Strangely enough, Derek Johnstone's last game in a Rangers shirt, was Walter Smith's first game in charge of Rangers, against St Mirren on the 19th April 1986, when Walter took charge for 2 games, before Souness' arrival.
Davie Cooper, a shining light in that dreadful first half of that 1980's decade, also played in both of those games for Walter.
Richard Gough our 9 in a Row Captain, played 274 games with Walter at the helm in the 1990's.
Allan McGregor made 200 appearances for Walter in the 2000's and the 2010's.

So there you have it, 2 of your picks were in Walter's first ever game in Charge in 1986,
then 25 years later Allan McGregor played in Walter's final game in charge with Title No. 54.
 
MO_TxTruBlu said:
That's a seriously impressive team you put together there Sir!
Given that I got the benefit of first pick, I think it's only fair that I give you a 2 goal start ;)

Interesting that you have Walter as your manager.
He has direct links to almost half your team, stretching back six decades.
Dave Smith a class act we signed in the 1960's, actually lined up against Walter Smith in our first game following the disaster in January 16th 1971, in a 1-1 Draw at Ibrox.
Alongside Walter Smith in the Dundee Utd side that day were ex Rangers players Davy Wilson and Alex Reid (who scored their goal), and their Captain Doug Smith (600+ Games), who was the brother of our own Dave Smith
Derek Johnstone our greatest player of the 1970's, was also in the Rangers side that day.
Strangely enough, Derek Johnstone's last game in a Rangers shirt, was Walter Smith's first game in charge of Rangers, against St Mirren on the 19th April 1986, when Walter took charge for 2 games, before Souness' arrival.
Davie Cooper, a shining light in that dreadful first half of that 1980's decade, also played in both of those games for Walter.
Richard Gough our 9 in a Row Captain, played 274 games with Walter at the helm in the 1990's.
Allan McGregor made 200 appearances for Walter in the 2000's and the 2010's.

So there you have it, 2 of your picks were in Walter's first ever game in Charge in 1986,
then 25 years later Allan McGregor played in Walter's final game in charge with Title No. 54.
Click to expand...
Great post linking history together there Mo.
That two-goal of a start would be your undoing, unfortunately.
Walter isn't losing a game with my side after being two goals up. :)

That said, it is a reminder of how interlinked Walter is through the fabric of Scottish football and why he was such a huge presence in the history of Rangers.
I am sure in his younger days he would have seen Ian McColl play for Rangers as well, although probably not Sammy.
 
Another one - and will do it post Souness since I didn’t see / don’t remember before that:

Scottish XI
___________McGregor
Hutton__Gough__Weir__Robertson
______B. Ferguson_I. Ferguson
______________Durrant
Miller_________McCoist____McCann

England XI
_______________Woods
Stevens__Butcher__Goldson___Ball
Steven__Gascoigne_Wilkins_Walters
__________Hateley__Defoe

European XI
______________Klos
Porrini__Cuellar__Amorouso__Numan
______Gattuso__van Bronckhorst
Laudrup______de Boer______Albertz
_______________Mols

Who would win?
 
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