Scottish Football's Greatest 100: Nicholas Thomson's top ten
The Away End continue the search for the 100 greatest players in Scottish football history. Nicholas Thomson is next to step up and pick who he feels are Scotland's top ten.
John Greig MBE (Rangers: 1961-1978 (755 Appearances))
Born a Hearts supporter, John Greig went on to be voted the greatest ever Ranger. In a highly distinguished career with both club and country, Greig won five League Championships, five Scottish Cups, four League Cups, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
On three occasions (two as captain) Greig was part of a Rangers side that won the domestic treble – half the number of trebles Rangers have won in their history.
Greig had to captain Rangers through the darkest period in their history when 66 supporters lost their lives in the second Ibrox Disaster in 1971.
It is testament to Greig that the Disaster memorial outside Ibrox Stadium is a statue of him, an honour which he has publically admitted to being deeply humbled by.
In the colours of Scotland, he made 44 appearances, 15 as captain, and scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Italy in 1965.
At his 1978 testimonial against a Scotland side bound for the World Cup in Argentina, 65,000 supporters paid tribute to a man that had become part of the fabric of Rangers Football Club.
Both John greig and David Weir make it into Nicholas Thomson's top ten
Billy McNeill MBE (Celtic: 1957 – 1975 (790 Appearances))
Celtic’s answer to John Greig, and even more successful. William McNeill won nine League Championships, seven Scottish Cups, six League Cups and the European Cup.
Voted by supporters as the greatest captain to pull on the famous hoops, McNeill was the first man to hold aloft the European Cup for a British team in 1967.
He led Celtic to their famous nine in a row triumph in the late sixties and early seventies, breaking the club record for appearances in the process.
Of his 790 appearances, he was never substituted – testament to his influence in and around the dressing room at Parkhead
He achieved 29 Scotland Caps between 1961 and 1972 – a number arguably too small for a player of McNeill’s stature.
He continues to be involved with Celtic to this day – now representing the club as their official ambassador.
Sandy Jardine (Rangers: 1965 -1982(674 Appearances) Hearts: 1982-1988(283 Appearances))
William “Sandy” Pullar Jardine was arguably Scotland’s greatest ever full-back.
In a highly successful career with Rangers, Jardine won three League Championships, five Scottish Cups, five League Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. He also played in the 1967 Cup Winners’ Cup final defeat to Bayern Munich.
He is second only to John Greig on the all-time appearances list for Rangers, and contributed hugely to Rangers treble-winning sides of 1976 and 1978, and the Cup Winners’ Cup triumph of 1972, scoring against Bayern Munich in the semi-final.
He left Rangers in 1982 to join boyhood-heroes Hearts, where he was part of the side that came agonisingly close to winning the League and Cup double in 1986.
But it was at Rangers where Jardine made his mark, and he continues to be employed by the club in a variety of roles.
Henrik Larsson (Celtic 1997 – 2004(314 Appearances))
Larsson’s Celtic career started in ignominy, playing a stray backpass that lead to a goal in his League debut against Hibernian, before scoring an own-goal in his European debut against Tirol Innsbruck.
That start however was not a prelude of what was to follow for Larsson.
In a sparkling career, the Swede scored 242 goals in 314 appearances, including an astonishing 53 goals in season 2000-01, earning him the European Golden Boot.
He won four League Championships, two Scottish Cups, two League Cups and a UEFA Cup runners-up medal.
Such was his immense talent; he left Celtic to go on to play for Barcelona and Manchester United, winning La Liga twice, the Champions League and the Premier League.
David Weir (Falkirk 1992-1996(134 Appearances) Hearts 1996-1999(116 Appearances) Rangers 2007-2012(278 Appearances))
David Gillespie Weir started his career at Falkirk, where he won the First Division Championship and the Challenge Cup, before moving on to Hearts where he was part of their famous Scottish Cup winning side of 1998.
His performances for Hearts won him a move to Premier League side Everton, who he captained under two different managers – Walter Smith and David Moyes.
When Walter Smith returned to Rangers in January 2007 to sort out the considerable mess left behind by Paul le Guen, Weir was his first signing – brought in on a temporary basis to help ease their considerable defensive problems.
He impressed so much that he ended up staying for almost exactly five years, winning three League Championships, two Scottish Cups, three League Cups and a runners-up medal in the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.
He was appointed Rangers captain in 2009, and was afforded lavish praise from his teammates who spoke extremely highly of him.
His performances with the Ibrox side lead to him being inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame – the first serving player to receive the accolade – in the summer of 2011.
He also had a distinguished international career, winning 69 caps, and received widespread acclaim for his performance against World Champions Spain at the age of 40 in October 2010.
Weir will be remembered fondly by fans of Falkirk, Hearts and Everton, but it was at Rangers that he fully demonstrated his supreme leadership talents.
Ally McCoist MBE(St Johnstone-1979-1981(22 Appearances) Rangers-1983-1998(581 Appearances) Kilmarnock-1998-2001(69 Appearances)
Alistair Murdoch McCoist put quite frankly, was a goal-machine.
With 355 goals to his name for Rangers, he is by quite a distance the highest scorer in the club’s history.
In his Rangers career, he won ten League Championships, nine League Cups and one Scottish Cup.
His goals were a huge part of Rangers “Nine in a Row” success, and his wit, charm and down-to-earth personality endeared him to the Rangers support who christened him “Super-Ally.”
In the dark-blue of Scotland, he earned 61 caps and scored 19 goals – including a famous screamer against Switzerland at Villa Park in Euro ’96.
He was voted Rangers greatest ever striker, and came second to John Greig in a poll to find the greatest ever Ranger.
A short spell with Kilmarnock followed, and in typical McCoist fashion, he scored a hat-trick in his League debut against Hearts.
Willie Miller MBE (Aberdeen 1972-1990(797 Appearances))
William Ferguson Miller is the ultimate Aberdeen legend.
Spending his entire career in the Granite City, the Glaswegian won three League Championships, four Scottish Cups, three League Cups, the European Cup Winners Cup and the European Super Cup.
He holds the unique honour of being the only captain of a Scottish side to lift two European trophies – the Cup Winners’ Cup and Super Cup in 1983.
A vital member of Alex Ferguson’s ultra-successful side of the 1980s, Miller was unbelievably consistent in his central-defensive role.
He was voted Aberdeen’s greatest ever player in a poll in 2003, and holds the club record for appearances.
Brian Laudrup (Rangers 1994-1998(116 Appearances))
“How come you’re so good?” – The now famous words uttered by STV’s Jim White in an interview that underline the impact Brian Laudrup had not only on Rangers, but on Scottish Football in general.
The “Prince of Denmark” contributed immensely to the later years of Rangers “Nine in a Row” – winning three League Championships, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup, scoring 37 goals in the process.
He had an incredible skill level, drifting past defenders with ease and setting up countless goals for the likes of McCoist and Durie.
It is almost ironic that such a skilful player scored one of the biggest goals in Rangers history with his head – the goal to clinch Rangers their ninth Championship in a row in May 1997.
His greatest game was unarguably the 1996 Scottish Cup final, where Rangers crushed Hearts 5-1, Laudrup scoring two goals and setting up the other three in a quite mesmerising performance.
He was voted Rangers Greatest “non-Scot,” and also found a place on the club’s Greatest XI.
Richard Gough (Dundee United 1980-1986(257 Appearances) Rangers 1987-1998(467 Appearances))
Charles Richard Gough began his career under Jim McLean at Dundee United.
In what was the most successful period in the club’s history, Gough won the League Championship with United in 1983, a remarkable achievement given the club’s miniscule squad.
His form at United earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but just over a year later he returned to Scotland and Rangers, where he won nine League Championships, three Scottish Cups and six League cups.
He was captain of the Rangers treble-winning team on 1992-93, a season which saw the club agonisingly miss out on the Champions League Final.
A warrior who never lay down, Gough was a stalwart during Rangers “Nine in a row” success.
His contribution was recognised by the supporters, and he was inducted into the clubs greatest XI in 1999.
Alex McLeish (Aberdeen 1978-1994(693 Appearances) Motherwell 1994-95(3 Appearances)
Alexander McLeish was Willie Miller’s defensive partner during Aberdeen’s heydays in the 1980s, and he won three League Championships, five Scottish Cups, two League Cups, the European Cup Winners Cup and the European Super Cup.
A fighter of the same ilk of Miller, McLeish was a solid performer, always consistent and always successful.
After Aberdeen’s 1-0 Scottish Cup triumph of 1983, manager Alex Ferguson raged at his side’s performance in the match, but spared Miller and McLeish, claiming that they had played opponents Rangers themselves and had won the cup for Aberdeen.
Following his time in the North-East, McLeish had a short spell as player-manager of Motherwell.
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