Alex Raisbeck, Billy Liddell, Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Tommy Lawrence, Ian St John, Ron Yeats, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen, Steve Nicol.
When trawling through the annals of Liverpool Football Club and its unique history, it is hard to avoid the incredible influence Scotsmen have had on the club.
From the club’s first ever game, played by a team of Scotsmen which would eventually be labelled “The Team of the Macs”, through the great sides of Tom Watson, Shankly and Dalglish, the Scottish touch has been an almost permanent feature.
Danny Wilson will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious countrymen.
The 18-year-old put the finishing touches to his protracted switch from Rangers this week, with Liverpool paying an initial £2 million (rising to £5m depending on appearances and achievements) for the youngster’s services.
And no sooner had he put pen to paper on a three-year contract at Anfield, than the Livingston-born central defender was setting his sights on emulating perhaps the greatest Scot ever to pull on a Red shirt – Kenny Dalglish.
“I was aware of the Scottish link before I signed,” said Wilson, “Kenny Dalglish is one of the best players Scotland have ever produced and, as a Scotsman, to come to a club where he played and did so well is a great thing.
“I spoke to him after I signed and he wished me the best of luck. He is a legend in Scotland and I hope to follow in his footsteps and have some success like he had here.”
Of course, if Wilson was to achieve even half of what ‘King Kenny’ did during his 14 trophy-laden years on Merseyside, then Liverpool fans would be laughing.
But, having only turned 18 in December, and despite boasting just a handful of senior appearances for Rangers, the early signs are promising. Wilson, it seems, is the real deal.
Indeed, his cool, composed and calculated approach has already drawn tentative comparisons with another great Anfield Scot, Alan Hansen.
“Danny is left-footed and has great vision, capable of playing long, accurate passes out of defence.” says Graeme MacPherson, who covers Rangers for the Glasgow Herald.
“He is always comfortable with the ball at his feet and is pretty quick too. He certainly reminds me of Alan Hansen, given that he rarely looks flustered, and likes having the ball at his feet.
“A few people have already made that comparison.”
No pressure then!
But though Wilson boasts little more than a handful of senior appearances, he also possesses a confidence and mental toughness which is rare for a lad of his age.
MacPherson says: “Off the field, he is very articulate and seems to have his head screwed on for such a young guy.”
He’d have to really; his rise has been nothing short of remarkable.
Having been given his senior Rangers debut in a League Cup tie with Dundee back in October, Wilson – who only turned 18 in December – soon found himself thrown in at the deep end by Gers boss Walter Smith, as injuries to Madjid Bougherra left a hole in the centre of his defence.
His first start came in a testing Champions League tie in Romania against Unirea Urziceni – who would, later in the season give Liverpool a decent game in the Europa League – and, in a rain-swept Bucharest, the rookie was arguably Rangers’ stand-out performer.
His appearance made him the youngest ever to appear in the Champions League for the club.
He would go on to make 24 appearances (scoring once, with a towering header against Hearts) as Rangers cruised to the domestic 'treble', forming a strong partnership with former Everton man David Weir, and in May he was named Scotland’s PFA Young Player of the Year.
His move to Liverpool, just ten months after making his senior debut, represents the next step in what has been a whirlwind rise to prominence.
“I’m very proud,” says Wilson, “At the start of last season, I would have settled for just making my debut.
“At the end of the season when the awards came around and people were nice enough to give me their votes, it gave me a massive confidence boost.
“I think it gave me a good introduction to football and I hope to carry that through the rest of my career and be successful whenever I can.”
Roy Hodgson will be hoping so too. It has been a while since Liverpool have had a Scotsman over whom they can get genuinely excited, but if Wilson is as good as his word, that may just be about to change.
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