Ally McCoist picks his all-time Celtic XI, and fans will have thoughts on one selection

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Celtic fans will often have discussed their all-time Celtic teams, likely with friends and family.

It’s a natural part of being a football fan – but when one Celtic supporter wrote to Talksport to ask Ally McCoist about naming his, he fancied the challenge.

The Rangers man-turned celebrity pundit has followed Scottish football for over five decades, having also played with a number of great Celtic players for the Scottish national team.

Offered assistance by Hoops-supporting Alan Brazil, he tried his hand at going from back to front in naming his all-time Celtic eleven – and his takes, including on one specific position, are likely to be controversial.

McCoist was born in 1962, meaning that Jock Stein’s all-conquering Lisbon Lions are likely to be the first team he remembers watching. His picks span across every decade since.

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Ally McCoist offers his all-time Celtic starting XI

Whether you are a fan of the club or not, narrowing Celtic’s unique history down to just one team is an almighty task – likely to leave you torn in a number of areas.

For McCoist, this was the case in midfield, given his personal respect for Bertie Auld. In the end, speaking on Talksport Breakfast, he said:

Goalkeeper: Ronnie Simpson

Back four: Tommy Gemmell, Billy McNeill, Virgil Van Dijk, Danny McGrain

Midfield: Bobby Lennox, Paul McStay, Bobby Murdoch, Jimmy Johnstone

Strikers: Kenny Dalglish, Henrik Larsson

He said: “Am I being hard in saying that you’ve not been blessed with top, top, top goalkeepers? But that’s some team.”

Regardless of the standard of Celtic’s goalkeepers throughout their history, Ronnie Simpson will always be a European champion, something that no stopper has achieved whilst playing across the city.

Virgil Van Dijk a controversial pick for Ally McCoist’s ultimate Celtic team

Virgil Van Dijk’s achievements since leaving Celtic are impossible to deny – but do they justify his selection in an all-time eleven?

The Dutchman spent just two full seasons at Celtic Park, whilst the other three of McCoist’s back-four picks were at the club for over a decade.

Van Dijk’s two years at the club yielded two Premiership titles and one League Cup. European success was less easy to come by, particularly given that he saw red in a Europa League tie against Inter Milan in 2015.

Few central defenders can reflect on their Celtic careers with this solid a goal-catalogue, however – Van Dijk famously earned free-kick duties with his outrageous technical ability.

Joining the club to little fanfare from Groningen in 2013, by the time he left, he had been linked with almost every club in the Premier League – though it was Southampton who took a chance on him.

It was his Liverpool move which would establish him as one of the great defenders of his generation, however, and in McCoist’s eyes, as one of the greatest players in Celtic’s history.