Scot 100: Alan Rowan picks his greatest XI
By Alan Rowan:Remember that moment of disaster from the World Cup in 1982? Willie Miller and Alan Hansen colliding as they both went for the same ball allowing the Russian a clear run on goal. The game finished 2-2 and once again our dreams were left in tatters.
Miller and Hansen were both superb players, yet together it didn't quite work. That was the hardest part of chossing a best-ever 11 - how to fit both these guys in. When I saw Hansen play, he always reminded me of a young Franz Beckenbauer, classy and comfortable on the ball, gliding through opposition defences. It wasn't just me. Liverpool obviously rated him highly enough to take him south and it paid off big-time for them.
So here's the solution, Miller and his big buddy Alex McLeish, the perfect defensive pairing, with Hansen left to sweep up and roam forward creating chaos in the opposition defence. In goal Andy Goram edges it ahead of Jim Leighton and at left back Maurice Malpas gets the vote simply because he was Mr Consistent and the fact that we weren't exactly blessed with brilliance in that poisition over the years.
TEAM (4-1-3-2)
ANDY GORAM (Rangers)
The man who broke Celtic's hearts again and again is the No.1 for me. It was a tough choice though - Jim Leighton was superb in his Aberdeen days but his later career would let him down. Goram on the other hand just seemed to be unbeatable at times and on his day was the best international keeper we've had.
DANNY McGRAIN (Celtic)
The man who virtually invented the wing back is out on his own for this slot. Equally at home on either side of the pitch, there was no finer sight than Danny charging up the wing leaving rivals trailing in his wake. Never quite the same player after his serious injury but still the best full back in the country
ALEX McLEISH (Aberdeen)
Miller and McLeish, the backbone of Fergie's conquerors. You simply can't have one without the other. They knew each other inside out and almost became a single entity. Big Eck was head and shoulders above the rest in this position and the partnership was one of the main reasons that Aberdeen swept the boards during their time together.
WILLIE MILLER (Aberdeen)
Tough in the tackle, superb reader of the game, Willie had it all. With Big Eck towering by his side, they had a huge psychological advantage from the first whistle over opposition strike forces. Just don't ask him to play alongside Alan Hansen.
MAURICE MALPAS (Dundee United)
The quiet man of the side, a defender who never put a foot wrong. He slipped quietly into Jim McLean's great Dundee United as if he'd been born to be there, and handled the finest attackers in Europe during these glory days. His Scotland appearances were also marked with a quiet but ruthless efficiency.
ALAN HANSEN (Partick Thistle)
Maybe a surprise to many but quite simply he turned in one of the best performances I've seen in this country. Playing for Partick Thistle, he ran the match against Dundee as the Jags ran out 2-1 winners at Dens Park. His Beckenbauer-esque show was a thing of beauty as he strolled through the Dark Blues defence time and time again. Pity he will be remembered mainly in Scotland for that Russian disaster.
GORDON STRACHAN (Aberdeen)
Another member of Fergie's all-conquering side, what he lacked in height he made up in skill and work-rate. He ran the midfield, keeping everyone else in line while tormenting the opposition. The sight of big Terry Butcher, no slouch himself when it came to competitiveness, laughing and telling Strach to calm down after he had seen his Ipswich side hammered 4-1 by the Dons was one to behold.
PAUL GASGOIGNE (Rangers)
Gazza was the man the fans loved to hate but he could do things with a ball that should have been impossible, a footballing magician. He's one of the few opposing players I've witnessed being given a standing ovation by opposition fans after 90 minutes of abuse. He was skillful but he also had a speed and strength that gave him a big advantage over anyone unlucky enough to have been told to mark him.
JIM BAXTER (Rangers)
Another midfield magician, his ball-juggling at Wembley during the 3-2 win over world champs England is the stuff of legend. He knew he was good and he loved showing it - especially against the English. But he could be ruthless as well. His slick passing and movement opened up defences at every level.
HENRIK LARSSON (Celtic)
Sheer class in every department. Despite a low-key start to life in Scotland, he was soon garnering all sorts of superlatives as he led Celtic's line to trophy after trophy. His movement was superb, his vision supreme and his finishing deadly. All this and no tantrums, no petted lip, no storming off in the huff. A consumate professional, one of the finest strikers ever to grace these shores.
KENNY DALGLISH (Celtic)
King Kenny was one of the few players who was adored by fans of all clubs and his infectious smile when scoring for his country was a sight we never tired of seeing. His masterclass came in the 3-1 Hampden win over Spain, and his cut in from the right and curling shot into the top right-hand corner of the net was a thing of beauty. Defenders found him impossible to handle as he brushed them with a wiggle of the hips or a swift change of direction.
Miller and Hansen were both superb players, yet together it didn't quite work. That was the hardest part of chossing a best-ever 11 - how to fit both these guys in. When I saw Hansen play, he always reminded me of a young Franz Beckenbauer, classy and comfortable on the ball, gliding through opposition defences. It wasn't just me. Liverpool obviously rated him highly enough to take him south and it paid off big-time for them.
So here's the solution, Miller and his big buddy Alex McLeish, the perfect defensive pairing, with Hansen left to sweep up and roam forward creating chaos in the opposition defence. In goal Andy Goram edges it ahead of Jim Leighton and at left back Maurice Malpas gets the vote simply because he was Mr Consistent and the fact that we weren't exactly blessed with brilliance in that poisition over the years.
TEAM (4-1-3-2)
ANDY GORAM (Rangers)
The man who broke Celtic's hearts again and again is the No.1 for me. It was a tough choice though - Jim Leighton was superb in his Aberdeen days but his later career would let him down. Goram on the other hand just seemed to be unbeatable at times and on his day was the best international keeper we've had.
DANNY McGRAIN (Celtic)
The man who virtually invented the wing back is out on his own for this slot. Equally at home on either side of the pitch, there was no finer sight than Danny charging up the wing leaving rivals trailing in his wake. Never quite the same player after his serious injury but still the best full back in the country
ALEX McLEISH (Aberdeen)
Miller and McLeish, the backbone of Fergie's conquerors. You simply can't have one without the other. They knew each other inside out and almost became a single entity. Big Eck was head and shoulders above the rest in this position and the partnership was one of the main reasons that Aberdeen swept the boards during their time together.
WILLIE MILLER (Aberdeen)
Tough in the tackle, superb reader of the game, Willie had it all. With Big Eck towering by his side, they had a huge psychological advantage from the first whistle over opposition strike forces. Just don't ask him to play alongside Alan Hansen.
MAURICE MALPAS (Dundee United)
The quiet man of the side, a defender who never put a foot wrong. He slipped quietly into Jim McLean's great Dundee United as if he'd been born to be there, and handled the finest attackers in Europe during these glory days. His Scotland appearances were also marked with a quiet but ruthless efficiency.
ALAN HANSEN (Partick Thistle)
Maybe a surprise to many but quite simply he turned in one of the best performances I've seen in this country. Playing for Partick Thistle, he ran the match against Dundee as the Jags ran out 2-1 winners at Dens Park. His Beckenbauer-esque show was a thing of beauty as he strolled through the Dark Blues defence time and time again. Pity he will be remembered mainly in Scotland for that Russian disaster.
GORDON STRACHAN (Aberdeen)
Another member of Fergie's all-conquering side, what he lacked in height he made up in skill and work-rate. He ran the midfield, keeping everyone else in line while tormenting the opposition. The sight of big Terry Butcher, no slouch himself when it came to competitiveness, laughing and telling Strach to calm down after he had seen his Ipswich side hammered 4-1 by the Dons was one to behold.
PAUL GASGOIGNE (Rangers)
Gazza was the man the fans loved to hate but he could do things with a ball that should have been impossible, a footballing magician. He's one of the few opposing players I've witnessed being given a standing ovation by opposition fans after 90 minutes of abuse. He was skillful but he also had a speed and strength that gave him a big advantage over anyone unlucky enough to have been told to mark him.
JIM BAXTER (Rangers)
Another midfield magician, his ball-juggling at Wembley during the 3-2 win over world champs England is the stuff of legend. He knew he was good and he loved showing it - especially against the English. But he could be ruthless as well. His slick passing and movement opened up defences at every level.
HENRIK LARSSON (Celtic)
Sheer class in every department. Despite a low-key start to life in Scotland, he was soon garnering all sorts of superlatives as he led Celtic's line to trophy after trophy. His movement was superb, his vision supreme and his finishing deadly. All this and no tantrums, no petted lip, no storming off in the huff. A consumate professional, one of the finest strikers ever to grace these shores.
KENNY DALGLISH (Celtic)
King Kenny was one of the few players who was adored by fans of all clubs and his infectious smile when scoring for his country was a sight we never tired of seeing. His masterclass came in the 3-1 Hampden win over Spain, and his cut in from the right and curling shot into the top right-hand corner of the net was a thing of beauty. Defenders found him impossible to handle as he brushed them with a wiggle of the hips or a swift change of direction.
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