Herald and Times Sport writers have put their heads together during lockdown and come up with the five players they believe have been the eminent exponents of their craft in their position since the Premier Division was formed 45 years ago - and selected one for the starting line-up.
Craig Brown, the former Scotland, Motherwell and Aberdeen manager, and Archie Knox, the ex- Aberdeen, Rangers and Scotland assistant, have coached many of those in contention for a place and have also pitched in with their expert opinions.
Our decisions have been based on three criteria - ability, longevity and success.
There are just two places left in the Greatest Premier XI. So who is the first striker to get the nod?
5
Name: Chris Sutton.
Clubs: Celtic (200 to 2006).
Titles: Four (2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006).
The Evil Genius. The former Celtic forward is notorious these days as an outspoken pundit with the BBC and BT Sport. But Chris Sutton was infamous with opposition teams in Scotland and across Europe long ago.
The wisdom of the Parkhead paying Chelsea a record £6m fee to secure his services after Martin O’Neill had been appointed manager in 2000 was questioned by some down south. He had not been a success at Stamford Bridge.
But Sutton was instrumental to all of the successes that O’Neill’s side enjoyed in the following five years. He formed a formidable strike partnership with Henrik Larsson up front and terrorised defences at home and abroad.
The Englishman wasn’t as skilful or stylish as the Swede, but he was a perfect foil for his celebrated team mate. He was smart, physical, industrious and brilliant in the air. He weighed in with his fair share of goals too, not least against Rangers.
Chris Sutton won the Premier League in four of the six seasons that he played in Scotland – he departed for Birmingham City halfway through the 2005/06 campaign – and only lost the other two on the final day.
4
Name: Derek Johnstone.
Clubs: Rangers (1970 to 1983 and 1985 to 1986)
Titles: Three (1975, 1976 and 1978).
Considering that he was often fielded by Rangers in defence and midfield instead of his favoured position in attack, it is remarkable that Derek Johnstone is, with 210 goals to his name, the fifth top scorer in the history of the Ibrox club.
How many times would the Dundonian have netted if he had, like Ally McCoist say, only ever lead the line during the 15 seasons that he spent as a player in Govan?
Still, his versatility didn’t prevent him from enjoying a stellar career. He plundered a total of 14 major honours. His haul of winners’ medals included one from the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972. In that final he played, despite only being 18, at centre half in the absence of the injured Colin Jackson.
Johnstone helped Rangers win three titles in four years and two trebles in three seasons under his mentor Jock Wallace in the 1970s. He was named both PFA Scotland and SFWA Player of the Year in 1978 after scoring 38 goals in all competitions.
3
Name: Mark Hateley.
Clubs: Rangers (1990 to 1995 and 1997).
Titles: Six (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997).
Graeme Souness attempted to sign Mark Hateley for Rangers when the England internationalist was playing for AC Milan in Italy in 1987. He moved to Monaco instead and won the French title under Arsene Wenger during his three seasons on the Riviera. But Souness finally got his man three years later. Fans of the Ibrox club were thankful he persevered.
The £1m signing took a while to settle. Supporters feared the new arrival had been brought in to replace Ally McCoist, who had a frosty relationship with his manager, and were antipathetic towards him. But he soon formed a lethal partnership with his fellow forward. He netted a double in the final day title decider against leaders Aberdeen to clinch the Premier Division and never looked back.
Nicknamed Attila, he was combative and powerful in the air. He was never better than in the “Battle of Britain” showdown with Leeds United at Elland Road in the inaugural Champions League in 1992. He rifled in a long-range volley and then set up McCoist for another in a 2-1 triumph that ensured his team made it into the group stages.
Hateley won the league in all five of the seasons that he played at Rangers and then helped the Govan club to complete Nine-In-A-Row when he returned briefly due to an injury crisis in 1997. With 115 goals in 222 first team appearances, he is one of their greatest strikers in the modern era.
2
Name: Kenny Dalglish.
Clubs: Celtic (1968 to 1977).
Titles: One (1977).
Scotland’s greatest ever footballer. King Kenny only played for Celtic for two seasons in the Premier Division before leaving for Liverpool in a British record £440,000 fee in 1977. But he certainly did enough in that time to merit his inclusion in the shortlist for the starting spot in the Greatest Premier XI in that time.
The 1975/76 season was a difficult one for the Parkhead club as Jock Stein was recovering from a car crash which almost killed him. But Dalglish was made club captain and carried a struggling team on his shoulders almost single-handedly. He was the leading scorer in the country that term with 32 goals.
The following campaign was altogether more successful. With Stein fully recovered and back in the dugout, Celtic won the Premier Division and Scottish Cup double. He was on target 29 times despite being deployed as both a midfield playmaker and a striker.
With the creativity already in this side, Sir Kenny was considered up front. That was where he played for Liverpool in the three European Cup triumphs he was involved in. It took a rather special individual to keep him out.
1
Name: Henrik Larsson.
Clubs: Celtic (1997 to 2004).
Titles: Four (1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004).
The King of Kings. Not even Rangers fans would dispute that former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson deserves his place up front in our dream team. The Swede is unquestionably the best player to grace the Scottish top flight this century.
Larsson’s unhappy spell at Feyenoord in the Netherlands ended in the summer of 1997 when they accepted a £650,000 bid from Celtic. The deal worked out well for both club and player. In the next seven years he would win four Scottish titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups and help his side reach the UEFA Cup final.
He would score 242 goals in 315 games in the process. Only Jimmy McGrory (468) and Bobby Lennox (273) have been on target more for the Glasgow club in their 132 year history.
As a player, Larsson had everything. He was fast, clever, graceful, brave, strong, tenacious and technically excellent. He was outstanding in the air even though he only stood 5ft 9in tall and good with the ball at his feet. Most of all, he was a lethal finisher, capable of netting from both inside and outside the box.
Larsson, too, flourished on the big stage. He is Celtic’s all-time leading marksman in Europe with 34 goals to his name. He scored on no fewer than 15 occasions in Old Firm games against Rangers.
The 2003 UEFA Cup final in Seville ended in defeat to Porto. But he showed his class that night. He beat Vitor Baia with two sublime second-half headers to force the match into extra-time. He would make up for the disappointment by winning the Champions League with Barcelona three years later.
Larsson was one of just four non-Lisbon Lions - the others were Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain and Paul McStay - and the only foreign player to be voted into the Greatest Celtic Team by supporters in 2002.
Henrik Larsson was certainly the first name down on our team sheet.
UNLUCKY TO MISS OUT: Where do you start?
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 – Henrik Larsson (striker).
11 - TBC (striker).
TOMORROW: Striker.
QUOTE
“The stats will tell you that four out of five goals are scored with one touch at the top level of football. Henrik Larsson was very good one touch finisher. But he could also beat a man.”
Craig Brown
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