Scotland's Best-Ever Golden Oldies

THE BBC SCOTLAND website has just revealed Scotland's 50 Greatest Players, as chosen by the fans. Nothing wrong with such exercises. They are terrific “click bait” for the site sponsoring them, but, who gets chosen depends on the age profile of those contributing.

As it happens, all 50 players nominated are from the last 60 years, with only three players – Eric Caldow (1957), Dave Mackay (1957) and Denis Law (1958) being capped prior to the swinging sixties.

All three would be in my list, and top 20 players at that, but, there are several nominees, whose place in that top 50 had me thinking: Yer avin' a larf!!!” And, the fact Jim Baxter only just scraped into the top ten, had me shaking my head.

One of the seldom mentioned givens about such lists is, the acceptance, a big star in one era would be a big star in any era, so, I reckoned I could pick at least an XI from the old days, capable of beating any XI chosen from the BBC's 50.

So, Here in the old-fashioned 2-3-5 formation is my team of Golden Oldies to take care of the more-recent guys.

Goalkeeper: Jimmy Cowan (Morton) – 24-times capped hero of the 1949 Wembley win, a game forever known as: “Jimmy Cowan's Wembley.” As a goalkeeper he was way-ahead of his time. Had nine clean sheets in his 24 internationals and is one of the few Scotland goalkeepers to have conceded less than a goal a game in the national team.

Right-back: George Young (captain) (Rangers) – 54-times capped, captain on 48 occasions, he was, in effect, Scotland's player-manager during the early 1950s.

Left-back: Sammy Cox (Rangers) – 25 caps. He played left-half for his club, left-back for Scotland, where both English knighted wingers, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney reckoned him to be their most-difficult opponent.

Right-half: Willie Shankly (Preston North End) – 5 caps. His subsequent managerial record with Liverpool has over shadowed the reality, Shankly was a marvellous midfielder, whose career was marred by World War II, which doubtless cost him many caps.

Centre-half: Willie Woodburn (Rangers) – 24 caps. Older Rangers fans who saw him play will tell you he was better than the later stars such as Butcher or Gough. Scotland's record with Young, Woodburn and Cox as a back three, in front of Cowan, is the stuff we can only dream of today. Fantastic player, with a hair-trigger temper which eventually cost him his career.

Left-half: Jimmy McMullan (Partick Thistle and Manchester City) – 16 caps. Captain of the first Wembley Wizards and an inspirational captain, but, also a great midfield schemer. Only on the losing side once in his 16 internationals.

Outside-right: Alex Jackson (Aberdeen and Huddersfield Town) – 17 caps. The man who scored a hat-trick at Wembley in 1928. Wonderful winger who added goals to his supply of tempting crosses.

Inside-right: Tommy Walker (Heart of Midlothian) – 20 caps. An Edinburgh icon, like Shankly, his gilded playing career was interrupted by World War II, and his subsequent managerial record during Hearts' “Golden Era” of the late-fifties, early-sixties has overshadowed his talents as a great player.

Centre-forward: Hughie Gallacher (Airdrie, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Derby County) – 20 caps. Scotland's greatest goal-scorer, 24 goals in 20 internationals. Also perhaps the hardest to handle player off the field. Gallacher's troubled relationship with drink eventually led him to kill himself, but, still a fantastic striker.

Inside-left: Alex James (Preston North End and Arsenal) – 8 caps. His meagre number of caps fails to do justice to his talent. Wasn't that bothered about playing for Scotland but, at club level, he was the brains behind North End, then the great Arsenal side of the 1930s, before enjoying a good career in journalism. Had a near telepathic understanding with the men either side of him.

Outside-left: Alan Morton (Queen's Park and Rangers) – 31 caps. “The Wee Blue Devil,” tormented the English, and everyone else, throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s. A fantastic, fast and tricky winger who, like Jackson on the opposite flank, carried a goal threat. On retiring, was immediately appointed to the Rangers' board. He may have gone to Ibrox, (Legend has it his signing-on fee kept the family mining firm afloat in hard times) but, he remains the epitome of the Queen's Park gentleman-footballer.

That's my first XI, I could have included the likes of Davie Meiklejohn, Bob McPahil, Patsy Gallacher or Jimmy McGrory from the great Old Firm teams of that time. Hearts fans may question why I included Tommy but not Bobby Walker, and I did not even consider some of the giants of the Victorian era, when Scotland was the best team in the admittedly then small football world – Charles Campbell, Tom Vallance, Walter Arnott, Dr John Smith, William McKinnon, or great men from the Vale of Leven such as John McDougall or James McAulay.

Aye, we've got literally hundreds of marvellous players from which to pick a top 50. That's the great thing about such exercises, choice is near-infinite and it all comes down to opinion, which, as CP Scott, the great Guardian Editor memorably maintained is free.

So, feel free to disagree with my selection and pick your own.