Silky skills: Colin Le Page slides home the Rangers’ goal in the 2-1 home defeat in the 1978 Upton at the Track. The talented midfielder has been nominated at the hub of Rangers’ all-time ‘Best XI’. (0702150)

THE resident Rangers expert came along with a short list as wide as the board room table.

Harold Allen, red-and-black through and through and first-team coach in Guernsey’s oldest club’s most recent period of Priaulx domination, all of 30 years ago, had done his homework and it was immediately clear that over the course of time the old club has been graced by very many fine footballers.

But the selection panel was not going to let arguably Rangers’ finest coach get his own way all the time and, after 90 minutes of deep discussion, regular dips into Richard Payne’s wealth of statistics and the old GFA handbooks, we were able to come up with a starting XI and seven subs.

Most of Rangers’ ‘Best XI’ played at a time when not even one sub was allowed, but simply to choose 11 players and ignore the merits of so many other worthy players with great careers behind them, would have been cruel, so the decision was quickly made to emulate the modern game and go with a full set of seven subs.

Early in the discussion one other stipulation was made that will be carried forward through the two-month nostalgia series.

Players can be considered for only one team and the panel would favour players who were, by and large, renowned for being a Ranger, Northerner, Sylvan etc.

The modern, medal-hunter would not be ruled out, club loyalty was very important, although not crucial.

Almost inevitably, given that Rangers’ most successful eras were in the 30s and 50s, few of modern times  were in the selectorial mix, although Ross Allen, rampant this season as the Rangers spearhead, was considered.

Not chosen, but considered.