Darren Clarke's Liverpool #One2Eleven

He may be a major-winning golfer, but Darren Clarke is also football mad.

The Northern Irishman is a big Liverpool fan and told us who his top 11 Reds players are…

Goalkeeper - Ray Clemence

He made so many appearances for Liverpool. It was either him or Bruce Grobelaar, but I’ve gone for Ray.

Centre-back – Alan Hansen

I have three at the back. Alan was hardy, he didn’t mess about. He put his foot in when he had to put his foot in – he was reliable. Reliable is something people are searching for quite often in the Premier League these days. Eight league titles, three European Cups and his heart’s still in Liverpool to this day. He was a massive player for Liverpool.

Centre-back – Emlyn Hughes

Again a stalwart Liverpool player, he made over 600 appearances. The first captain to lift the European Cup. Again he was always reliable. I was a huge fan of a Question of Sport growing up – I always used to watch it and he was on there all the time. Just another iconic Liverpool player.

Centre-back – Jamie Carragher

No Liverpool side would be complete without him. He was a servant of Liverpool Football Club for a long, long time, made over 700 appearances, won so many trophies with Liverpool. He led by example at the back and it was a sad day when he retired.

Defensive midfield – Graeme Souness

You probably wouldn’t meet a harder man on a football pitch. I think if you did now what he did then, you wouldn’t last too long on the pitch – you’d be off pretty quickly! He was a hard man, and if you look at any successful team not only do they need skill but they also need a hard man in there. He took no prisoners, he was strong and always there for the team.

Defensive midfield – Xabi Alonso

He was quality. He almost had the same skill as Stevie G for putting in long balls. He was smart, he was clever and he was a proper footballer. He had the knack of playing the right ball at the right time.

Central midfield – Steven Gerrard

He’ll be right in the middle of the pitch dictating the game as he does, and has done for many years. In my time watching Liverpool he has been Mr Liverpool, Mr Reliable. I know he’s getting a little bit older, a little bit slower, but his skills haven’t diminished. Can you imagine anybody better to step up and take a penalty? He was the first name I put down when picking my team.

Attacking midfield – Kenny Dalglish & Kevin Keegan

You can’t really put them in a position – you give them a free reign around the pitch, and they did that frequently. They created havoc, they scored goals – quality goals, poachers goals – they did everything. They had a free-flowing style and you never knew where they were going to turn up on the pitch.

Striker – Ian Rush

Around 340-odd goals in around 600 appearances, the man could just sniff out a goal from anywhere. Maybe the style has changed a little bit of what a striker’s more acquired to do these days, but with the way they played football he was always there, he was always in the right place at the right time and that’s why he was so good.

Striker – Robbie Fowler

He had so much pace and speed, he could turn a player. Robbie’s not that big a guy but for the size of him he was so strong, and he battled. He was another guy who always seemed to be in the right position at the right time. He wasn’t afraid to put his foot through the ball when he had to – he had no fear, and that’s what all great Liverpool players have.