STARTING XI
REMAINING SQUAD MEMBERS
3 best players not in the squad:
Scotland have never reached the knockout phase of the Euros or World Cup, which is surprising given that they have such a strong squad here. Celtic and Rangers did very well in European football through the 60's and early 70's. Celtic won the 1967 European Cup and reached the 1970 final, while Rangers won the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup and reached two finals in the late 60's. 6 players make this squad from those teams. Despite this, from the 60's up until 1972, the national team did not qualify for either major international tournament. This squad also has 4 players from the 1920's, where they dominated the British Home Championship, albeit before the emergence of the Euros and World Cup. Sunderland legend Ned Doig was very close to making the squad, but Goram and Leighton deserve their spots. There were many close calls to make with the defenders on the bench, the margins were close between a lot of players and it was difficult to choose. Supposed 19th Century legend Nick Ross just missed out on the squad at centre-back alongside Alex Raisbeck and Richard Gough, while Jimmy Gibson and Sandy Jardine were very close on the right side. George Young was also a strong option in the centre or on the right. John Greig starts at left-back, and can also cover as a 4th centre-back if needed. Andy Robertson is his back-up, and is the only player who makes it from the 21st Century, just beating Tommy Gemmell and Eric Caldow to the spot. The midfield didn't have a natural defensive midfielder, but it was nicely balanced and Bremner could fulfil that role. Baxter starts next to him, with Souness and James covering these positions. Dave Mackay really stood out amongst the best players not included, but he would've been one too many midfielders. There were many strong options for the reserve wingers, in Peter Lorimer, Davie Cooper, Billy Liddell and Gordon Strachan. I eventually chose Nottingham Forest's European Cup hero John Robertson for the left-wing, and Alex Jackson for the right, who scored a hat-trick for the 'Wembley Wizards' that beat England 5-1 in 1928. Dalglish and Law stood out as the two starting forwards, while Walker, Gallacher and McGrory back them up to form a nicely balanced squad. Players by Decade: 1960's (5), 1920's (4), 1980's (4), 1970's (4), 1930's (2), 1900's (2), 2020's (1), 1990's (1) World-Class Scottish Players (14)
Honourable Mentions (Close to Gold):
McNeil / Greig / J.Gibson / J.McMullan / A.Jackson / J.Robertson / Strachan
Top 10 Scottish Players of All-Time (& their all-time positional rank)
|