Scott7

Colin, Colin, Colin Stein - how did I miss him off my list? I saw his debut for Hibs and I knew they had a player. It’s still M&B, though.

@26th of foot is a wise man. He heeds the guidance of his illustrious forebears, what a pedigree. I thought I’d follow his example and with the aid of the ouija board I asked my old man what he thought. The answer from the spirit world without a moment’s hesitation, Lawrie Reilly and Joe Baker. Should have known. Dad was a Spider but the Hibs were his other team. So, using my own skill and judgement: Willie Thornton but there’s no Willie Waddell on the wing. Don Kitchenbrand and Maxie Murray scored plenty but there were better to follow. Jimmy Millar and Ralph Brand - say no more. Jim Forrest a player who was more than just a goal machine. Derek Parlane deserved better than Ally Scott or Martin Henderson as his assistant. DJ probably the most versatile of the lot. McCoist and Hateley, the perfect partnership and the bookies’ favourites. There was no type of goal Super couldn’t score from the sublime to the ridiculous Robert Fleck. I didn’t understand why Souness preferred Hateley. I found out when that famous header went in. Durie and Drinkell - workers but goal scorers too. Negri and Mols - ah, what might have been. Prso and Jelavic would have been a prolific pairing. You would have to be blind not to pick McCoist and Hately but I choose Millar and Brand (Where’s that damn dog with my white stick?) Jimmy Millar could leap and power in headers like DJ and Hateley. His work rate never slackened. No defender had an easy afternoon with Millar on the park. Ralph Brand, the ultimate craftsman goalsmith. I can’t remember him scoring from distance nor did he get a lot with his head but from every part of the penalty area, left or right side Ralphie would rifle them into the corner. Crackshot.

Somebody crocked already? Should have known. This is Rangers.

The mythical unanimous vote if @Rousseau disqualifies the non-Laudrup voters.

Waddell (Yes if Thornton’s CF which he won’t be) Scott (But he needs McMillan as his inside man) Henderson (Tempted to stop here and vote) McLean T. (For the position illustrated he might be ideal as opposed to the traditional touchline operator) Cooper (Genius on the right, on the left and in the forward right side of midfield. I don’t know why he’s not getting my vote) Laudrup (Like Baxter, the name says it all) We’ve been lucky to have had so many brilliant right wingers. Was there ever such a thrilling sight at Ibrox as Alex Scott burning past a defender onto a thirty yard pass from McMillan inside the fullback and on the run, crossing the perfect ball for Millar to head into the net? Nonetheless, it’s Laudrup.

Four. Alex Scott the major beneficiary of McMillan’s passing skills.

Not great in the air, didn’t track back. Doesn’t matter. Immaculate passer of the ball to unlock the defence.

I refer the Honourable Member to Rangers: The Complete Record (Ferrier and McElroy) page 313: ”He (Greig) was originally an inside forward but Rangers moved him back and his great days were as a defensive wing-half, supporting Ronnie McKinnon ….. Indeed the Greig-McKinnon-Jim Baxter half back line …. could be compared with any other in the club’s history.” JG played just about every position, sometimes in the same game but as the quoted authors say, he was primarily a wing-half. His position in the Gersnet side is perfect for him. Up alongside the CF, back heading the ball away from under the bar, deterring the opposition midfield - that’s JG.

@ranger_syntax was threatened with a lifetime ban for disrespect much less than this.

Where an attack is developing towards the penalty area with the half-backs trying to stop it, the two full backs are nearer the goal line than the centre half is. He stands forward nearer the penalty spot than the goal line. Imagine a collapsing and expanding diamond.with the ‘keeper at the apex. Of course all that means nothing when Jimmy Johnstone goes jinking past three of them and John Greig has to come thundering back to separate him from the ball.

Ian McMillan was the master creator of attacks, none better but if I stick to the position description I have to look at a player who did the attacking himself. I was reckoning on Gascoigne but @JohnMc’s eloquence above has persuaded me to vote Durrant.

I know what you mean but though I never saw Meiklejohn, Morton and McPhail somehow I feel I must have done. How’s that for delusion.

2-3-5 nominally but the CH drops back to make it 3-2-5. In compo’s team the playing formation was very flexible, 4-2-4 or 3-3-4 or even: 3 (Shearer, McKinnon, Caldow) 3 (Greig, McMillan, Baxter) 1 (Millar) 3 (Henderson, Brand, Wilson) None of that prevented John Greig careering from box to box destroying the opposition in both. Your coloured chart deserves close scrutiny. Observe the correct position of the Left Winger and compare it with your original diagram then look again at the coloured chart for the Left Half. Whae’s the numpty noo, eh? (See. I can speak like an Embra toff when I have to)

Speaking for myself, that’s right. Old guys told me often that old guys told them Neilly Gibson and Jimmy Gordon of the Rangers were the greatest footballers unlikely to be equalled. They never said just “Jimmy Gordon”. It was always “Jimmy Gordon of the Rangers”. I wonder if that’s on his birth certificate.

I see the piano guy’s back.

If we are talking actual left wingers i.e touchline huggers performing as defined by @26th of foot above we are looking at Johnny Hubbard and Davy Wilson at the top then Willie Johnston and Neil McCann. No one else need apply. But they didn’t stand in the illustrated position. Others who operated with distinction in that area of the pitch are Sammy Cox, my choice but for Baxter, Billy Stevenson who would have been a Rangers legend but for Baxter, John Greig (where did he not play?) Dave Smith before he found his true position and the mighty Hammer. Pitch Geography helps: the area on the left side in front of the defence and behind the attack is not the wing.

The illustrated position is traditional left-half which became left-midfield. God knows what it’s called now. True wing is wide on either touchline.

Not at all. I see Hagi scored Romania’s winning goal against Israel last night.

That’s some team developing. The position shown in the diagram isn’t left wing. The position shown belongs to Jim Baxter.

Reference Dave Smith. Oh yes.

No option. You can’t change the remit half way through. Actually, you ca because we’re picking for the position, not the team. As for boring strikers, don’t assume I’m voting McCoist and Hateley, though I might, or maybe one of them or possibly neither after all.

In mitigation, Honest John often played a concerto on Jimmy Johnstone’s shinbones.

Haud on. We don’t need a piano player in the middle of the park.

Long list of candidates for this position defending in front of a back four. Ian McColl, maybe too right sided. Sammy Cox, maybe too left sided. Harry Davis, iron man with CH experience. Dave Smith could do it. So could Ian Ferguson. Hemdani might fit. @compo is right, of course. It’s John Greig the play anywhere, everywhere man. I like a defensive midfielder who careers forward and bangs in the goals.

Baxter couldn’t defend a bag of sweeties. He didn’t have to defend, fortunately.