Greatest Premier XI: Who's kept McGeady, Van Bronckhorst and Walters out of the left midfield berth?

Our decisions have been based on three criteria - ability, longevity and success.

So who have we chosen to play on the left side of midfield in the Greatest Premier XI ?

5

Name: Mark Walters.

Clubs: Rangers (1987 to 1991).

Titles: Three (1989, 1990 and 1991).

The Englishman’s time in Scotland is often remembered for the disgraceful racist abuse he suffered. Black players had been a rarity in this country when he signed from Aston Villa for £500,000 in 1987. His presence was too much for some of the pond life who populated the terraces at the time.

Mark Walters was subjected to monkey chants and had bananas thrown at him on his debut in an Old Firm game against Celtic at Parkhead. He suffered similar sickening treatment at other away grounds. His own club even had to ban one so-called supporter for an incident in his first appearance at Ibrox too. They were shameful scenes.

But they shouldn’t be allowed to overshadow what a classy footballer Walters was. He was an old-fashioned winger, an entertainer who tormented defenders, a supreme athlete who raced down the touchline and curled delightful crosses in to his strikers. He also had an eye for goal and was a regular scorer. It is to his enormous credit that he performed at such a high level given everything else he had to contend with. 

Walters helped Rangers win the first three Scottish titles in their Nine-In-A-Row era before following Graeme Souness to Liverpool in a £1.25m transfer.

 4

Name: Aiden McGeady.

Clubs: Celtic (2004 to 2010).

Titles: Four (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

The Glasgow-born winger was another who endured, and at a young age too, a tough time from the stands due to his decision to play international football for the Republic of Ireland, where his grandparents had hailed from, rather than Scotland.

But he was unaffected. He was handed his first team debut by Martin O’Neill aged 18 towards the end of the 2003/04 season, quickly established himself as a first team regular, became more influential under Gordon Strachan, won four Scottish titles, a League Cup and two Scottish Cups and helped the Parkhead club reach the last 16 of the Champions League twice.  

Aiden McGeady was a box of tricks. He was fast and possessed incredible technique. His trademark move, the McGeady Spin, was featured in the popular FIFA video game series. He was named both PFA Scotland Player and Young Player of the Year in 2008.

He joined Russian club Spartak Moscow in a Scottish record £9.5m transfer in 2010. He never, despite winning 92 caps for his adopted homeland, quite scaled the heights that many felt he could thereafter. But he was still a unique talent.  

3

Name: Peter Weir.

Clubs: St Mirren (1978 to 1981 and 1989 to 1990) and Aberdeen (1981 to 1987).

Titles: Two (1984 and 1985).

A Barrhead boy who had been to school with Alex McLeish, Peter Weir made an unspectacular start to his Aberdeen career after signing from St Mirren for £200,000 fee in 1981. That all changed in a UEFA Cup match against Ipswich Town at Pittodrie.

The score was level at half-time, but Weir ran riot in the second-half, scored two goals and sent Alex Ferguson’s men through to the second round. Mick Mills, the England right back, still has nightmares about it. It was the beginning of a glorious spell for the winger in the north-east.

He won two Premier Division titles, four Scottish Cups, the League Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup in the space of five years. He was arguably the Dons’ outstanding performer in their famous win over Real Madrid in Gothenburg in 1983. As his captain Willie Miller once remarked: “On that day, Peter was world-class, no question.”

Archie Knox was in the dugout that night. The former Aberdeen assistant said: “Peter Weir was a fantastic player, both going forward and defensively. I can remember him taking Mick Mills apart. Not many people were able to do that. He was two footed, the whole lot. He should have had a lot more caps (Weir made just six appearances for the national team) than he did.”

2

Name: Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Clubs: Rangers (1998 to 2001).

Titles: Two (1999 and 2000).

The versatile Dutch defender-cum-midfielder won the Premier League and FA Cup during his time with Arsenal, triumphed in La Liga and the Champions League when he was at Barcelona, represented the Netherlands on 104 occasions and captained his country in the 2010 World Cup final.

His time at Rangers was rather good as well. He played at left back latterly in his accomplished career and also featured there at Ibrox on occasion. But he was, with his compatriot Arthur Numan joining him in Glasgow, primarily used as a left-sided midfielder in Scotland. He was integral to the style of play that Dick Advocaat introduced.

In his debut season after joining from Feyenoord in a £5.5m transfer in 1998, Van Bronckhorst played in 53 games in all competitions and scored 10 goals as Rangers completed a domestic treble. The following season he helped the Govan club overcome Parma to qualify for the Champions League and win the Premier League and Scottish Cup double.

It was almost inevitable that such a quality footballer would move on to play at a higher level and he duly departed for Highbury for an £8m fee in 2001. But he is still held in the highest regard at his former club. With very good reason.     

1

Name: Davie Cooper.

Clubs: Rangers (1977 to 1989) and Motherwell (1989 to 1993).

Titles: Three (1978, 1987 and 1989).

Picking the top five left-sided midfielders for the Greatest Premier XI was a tricky business. Leaving Jorg Albertz, Shaun Maloney and Neil McCann out has doubtless mystified many readers. But selecting one man for the starting line-up was a no brainer. It had to be Davie Cooper.

The former Clydebank player made an immediate impact after joining Rangers in a £100,000 transfer aged 21 in 1978. He played in 57 of the Ibrox club’s 58 games as they won the Premier Division, League Cup and Scottish Cup. The next term they retained both cups. 

But the following years were difficult for Rangers. There was a lack of investment in the squad and Aberdeen, Celtic and Dundee United dominated. Cooper was very much a light in the darkness in those desperate days. He certainly had slumps in form, spells when he looked disinterested. He was dubbed the Moody Blue. When he fancied it, though, he was irresistible. 

He had extraordinary close control, a wand of a left foot and both set up and scored goals. His outrageous individual effort in the Drybrough Cup final win over Celtic in 1979 was later voted Rangers’ greatest goal. But there were many more.

He was revitalised when Graeme Souness took over as manager in 1986 and won two more Scottish titles in 1987 and 1989 before moving on to Motherwell.

 Cooper only won 22 caps for Scotland, but he excelled at international level. “I worked with Davie at Mexico ’86,” said former manager Craig Brown. “When he came on against Uruguay in the vital last game he was excellent. If he had been on from the beginning we might have gone through.”

Dutch great Rudd Gullit played against Super Cooper, who tragically passed away aged just 39 in 1995, when he was at Feyenoord and was taken aback. He named him alongside Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff in his all-time XI. He deserves his place, then, in our own dream team. 

UNLUCKY TO MISS OUT: Jorg Albertz, Tommy Burns, Shaun Maloney, Neil McCann, Alan Thompson.

TEAM SO FAR:

1 - Andy Goram (goalkeeper).
2 - Danny McGrain (right back).
3 – Maurice Malpas (left back). 
4 – Alex McLeish (centre back).
5 – Willie Miller (centre back).
6 – Scott Brown  (defensive midfielder).
7 – Paul Gascoigne (attacking midfielder).
8 – Brian Laudrup (right winger).
9 – Davie Cooper (left winger).

10 - TBC (striker).
11 - TBC (striker).

TOMORROW: Striker.