Rangers FC, the 2009 Scottish champions, resolutely remain one of the great institutions of British football. And compiling this list of Rangers' greatest 50 players has been quite a trip down memory lane for me.

My own particular Rangers journey stretches back to just 1970, but in composing this list I have spoken to Ibrox fans whose recollections went back through the decades and, in one case, even to the immediate prewar years.

The old Ibrox prior to its 1980 all-seated refurbishment was something to savour: the great oval arena with the huge terracing covering three quarters of the ground, set against the famous Archibald Leitch stand, with the grass below glowing in the early-season sunshine. Back then, as today, vast crowds rolled up, and, for a little kid, bounding up the steps to take in this sight made for breathtaking excitement.

The club's history is littered with great players, as I hope the list testifies. This, naturally, is a highly subjective list, and I take full responsibility for its accuracy or whims. Thanks go to Robert McElroy, Jim B and Fat Rab for their advice, though I disagreed with all of them in the end.

50 Willie Johnston
1964-72, 1980-82, 393 total appearances, 125 goals

Forgive the authorial bias here ... but His Eminence, Sir William "Bud" Johnston, has to be quoted in a Rangers top 50, if only just scraping in. A winger, a dribbler, a fiery personality with a wicked temper (but a lovely guy off the pitch), Johnston was everything to a young Glasgow kid dreaming of such wing wizardry himself. Johnston's colourful career had everything - too much to quote here - but when he took flight over 15 yards few would catch him, especially in 1971-72.

49 Arthur Numan
1998-2003, 118 total appearances, 3 goals

Numan was the very epitome of the modern full back: quick, strong, intelligent on the ball and blessed (he's Dutch) with bags of self-belief. One of the first of Dick Advocaat's signings when he came to Rangers in 1998, Numan had just starred for Holland at that summer's World Cup and quickly became an Ibrox favourite. One of the club's greatest left backs.

48 Neil Gibson
1894-1904, total appearances unknown

This Rangers player was once called "the greatest half back of Victorian times". Neilly Gibson was also once described as "Pavlova in football boots". He was an ever-present in the Rangers team that recorded a 100 per cent league campaign in 1898-99, so let not the years dim his reputation.

47 Ian Durrant
1983-98, 347 total appearances, 45 goals

Many can still recall Ian Durrant's first, fleeting moments of greatness as a Rangers player in 1985. Craig Brown: "He had this amazing ability to streak ahead of the play, to ghost beyond defenders to latch on to through balls." Durrant was magnificent, one of the great Scottish midfield players-in-waiting before injury wrecked his career. His spirit and guts forced him back into the Rangers team in the 1990s but he was never the same player.