It is one of the minor paradoxes of football that what unites the mass of fans can divide the smallest of groups.
This is no more evident than in the designation of greatest of all time (GOAT), the GOAT, to any player. We all have one. We all share that need to state our case.
The punter names his candidate on social media, on the terrace and in the bar with a certainty that brooks no dissent. Yet dissent still comes. It divides groups as small as two.
It is a subjective decision that may owe something to statistics and achievements but leaves enough of the unquantifiable to stir eternal argument.
The Mail series on the GOAT at each SPFL club is thus primed not to settle arguments but to stimulate them. The selections are explained but many will need some convincing. This is the way of football and is to be welcomed.
It is, perhaps, useful to investigate the context that led to these nominations. This observer can look on it with benign objectivity, as I was not involved in the process, though I am intrigued by it.
John Greig is considered the greatest Ranger for his leadership qualities rather than skill
The GOAT, curiously, need not be the best player who ever pulled on your favourite shirt. John Greig, for example, routinely and rightly, in my view, lauded as the greatest-ever Ranger, did not have the skills or creative impact of a Brian Laudrup, or the fleeting but considerable influence of a Paul Gascoigne. The languid genius of Jim Baxter was never likely to be replicated by Greig, but he stands at the summit because of his formidable characteristics.
Greig achieved his standing among supporters by dint of determination, commitment and no little skill. He seemed an embodiment of the club in his attitude to the game and his adherence to the principle of placing winning first on the order of priorities.
Billy McNeill, similarly, would be high on the list of Celtic nominations, but did not win the prize in a supporters’ poll. That honour went to Jimmy Johnstone, while modern fans would press the claim of Henrik Larsson.
Thus the criteria for choosing the greatest are varied. It is an inexact science, though there are players who simply demand the honour. One of the most obvious in this category is Willie Miller. Gordon Strachan was a better footballer in many areas, but Miller was everything that Aberdeen needed at the height of their dominance of Scottish football.
He was a leader, a motivator, a defender of extraordinary skill and intelligence. Most importantly, he was the embodiment of the manager on the pitch.
The guides are thus playing skill, impact, influence on the team, identification with a particular side and longevity. One-season wonders do not become the greatest ever in the eyes of supporters. They may be considered wistfully, but they do not and cannot trump the belief that a player has to perform for the club for some time before being considered a genuine all-time hero.
The Mail list lures me towards general agreement, but there are specific choices that invite vigorous dissent. The game survives and, indeed, prospers on such arguments.
My position on GOATs is straightforward but contentious. Diego Maradona was the greatest player I ever saw. His performance at Hampden in 1979 alone was breathtaking. He was the greatest and most popular player at Napoli and is still revered in the city. Yet it would be daft to suggest he was the greatest player in the history of Barcelona and Sevilla.
The greatest player ever for Scotland, for me, was Denis Law. This owes much to my age and the realisation that images imprinted on the young mind can remain immune to change down the years. Kenny Dalglish may have been a better player, though not a Ballon d’Or winner, with more titles at club level. But Denis, with his spiked hair and devastating interventions, was a phenomenon of his age. He made an impact on me that remains powerful some 60 years on.
Similarly, at club level, I have never seen a better player at Celtic than Bobby Murdoch. He dominated a European Cup final while playing with a dodgy ankle. He was the creator, the protector of Jinky and the scorer of vital goals, none better than the winner against Leeds United in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1970. Yet many who stood alongside him in those days, and those who followed, would state that Johnstone was the greatest, and there would be nods too in the direction of Dalglish and, yes, Larsson.
Kenny Dalglish is a strong candidate to be the greatest Celtic player
My spell as a Stirling Albion supporter – I took my kids there for ten seasons, probably to prepare them for the vicissitudes of life – prompted a deep affection for Willie Watters. He could score goals of all kinds and was an influential presence in a struggling team. He could brighten my Saturdays. Yet Albion fans would have other valid choices.
Consider your own team: who was the best? This will tell us something of a player’s ability, but it will reveal everything about your approach to the game and what you consider the most important characteristics.
Do you place loyalty and commitment over ability? Indeed, does your choice need to have all three? Is the scorer of a last-minute goal more important than the consistent winner of a last-ditch tackle? Does personality play a major part? Did your admiration for a player grow over the years and his significance become apparent gradually rather than in eye-catching moments?
This is how we can watch the same evidence, consider it carefully and come to different conclusions. Statistics can be clinching arguments in baseball, cricket and American football, but not in football.
The designation of GOAT at your club is driven by memory, affection and evaluation. It is impossible to separate these elements. But the meeting of these disparate forces produces a judgment that is deeply held.
It is, of course, immune to outside argument. But that does not stop us from trying to influence others or defending our choices in the face of voluble opposition.
The GOAT is an elusive beast and he can come in many shapes. Once embraced, however, he stays with you for life. It is part of the wonder of football.
THE GOAT DEBATE: Find out who gets the nod for your club
Get in touch with your own GOAT selections at [email protected]
