The English have always had tunnel vision and selective memory regarding their football clubs, but this week their jingoism reached new levels when such respected publications as the Daily Telegraph and the FourFourTwo magazine combined to conduct a poll listing the 10 greatest games of all time.

Naturally, England's World Cup win over West Germany topped their lot. Even Charlton's play-off victory over Sunder-land last season claimed an honourable seventh place. Not unexpectedly, no Scottish game rated a mention.

The poll prompted an indignant response from former Scotland and Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty, who has spent almost his entire career and life down south.

''Do they forget that England did not have to qualify in 1966, played every match at Wembley and benefited from a dubious decision from the Russian referee, who let Geoff Hurst's goal stand?'' queried the Doc.

''Would they ever have reigned victorious without these three factors? No!

''To mention Charlton and Sunderland in the same elite company is like heresy. Play-offs should never exist in any case, because promotion should be decided strictly on merit.

''I wonder how many of those polls could tell me a handful of the players who participated in that match?''

The Doc then went on to elaborate on his own Top Ten.

''My first choice is Real Madrid's 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the European Cup final of 1960. That not a single person in the largely neutral full-house crowd left Hampden Park until the final whistle said it all for me.

''There were great goals, great individual performances and a great atmosphere. Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas were a class apart, and I don't believe there will ever be a game played to equal this classic.

''Next is Brazil's 5-2 win over Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final and the emergence of Pele. For a 17-year-old he was simply awesome and his sublime performance was a major factor in Brazil's victory. From that day on, I said to myself if a player is good enough, then his age is irrelevant to being selected.

''The host nation, coached by George Rainer, who hailed from Doncaster, were a fine team yet could not cope with the skills of the South Americans who, for the first time at this level, employed two wingers - one of whom was Mario Zagallo.

''When you are a Scot earning your living in England, the hype surrounding their teams can be quite claustrophobic. It was never worse than after their World Cup win, and so we come to my third choice.

''For that reason, Scotland's 3-2 win at Wembley in 1967 will live forever in the memory. England were put firmly in their place, with Jim Baxter taking the mickey by sitting on the ball and then stuffing it up his jersey. With Baxter and Denis Law at their finest, we Scots could claim to be the world's best - for a day at least.

''My No.4 is England's 6-3 defeat by Hungary at Wembley in 1953, their first ever by a foreign team on home soil. Defeat is the wrong description. It was a massacre!

''The Magical Magyars, they were dubbed later, and the Hungarians certainly had England spellbound. Whenever England pulled a goal back, Puskas, or Hideguti, or Bozik pulled out a little bit more.

''Their teamwork resembled that of a club side. I had never seen such understanding at this level. It was almost telepathic and showed the huge advances being made abroad.

''To show I am unbiased, I won't include the 7-1 hiding that they suffered in the return tie!

''Celtic proving they were the best team in the country by following up their 1-0 win at Elland Road by beating Leeds United again in the European Cup semi-final in 1970 before a capacity crowd at Hampden takes fifth spot.

''Even though Billy Bremner put Leeds in front, Celtic still had enough pride, passion, and purpose to come back and win 2-1.

''I always held their manager, Jock Stein, in the highest esteem, and, tactically, he proved superior to Don Revie over those two games, which did so much for Scottish prestige.

''At No.6 is Manchester United's 4-1 victory over Benfica to capture the European Cup in 1968.

''Denis (Law), who missed the game through injury, told me this was the poorest Old Trafford team he had played in. Yet this was a special match and not only for the goals from genuine greats George Best and Bobby Charlton and a young Brian Kidd. Their diminutive left winger, John Ashton, was the man-of-the-match as he ripped the Portuguese apart.

''I was so pleased Matt Busby ended his career by putting his club at the pinnacle of the game.

''That, somehow, seemed only fitting, just after the Munich air tragedy had dealt such a savage blow to the club.

''The Argentina-Holland World Cup final in 1978 is seventh, for the superb attacking qualities demonstrated by both sides.

''I loved the total football of the Dutch and electrifying ability of Johan Cruyff, who orchestrated almost every move.

''They were on the wrong end of several bad decisions, yet who can deny that, with the likes of Ossie Ardiles, Mario Kempes, Ricky Villa, and Daniel Passarella, Argentina did not deserve their 3-1 win after extra time.

''In eighth place is Holland-Scotland in the same World Cup. It ended as a great game because we had gone into it expecting a drubbing. This was one of our greatest results ever in beating the World Cup favourites 3-2.

''Little Archie Gemmill's goal, capped a display which restored our reputation. Why do Scotland only produce such performances when we have little hope and even less chance?

''The Celtic-Inter Milan European Cup final of 1967 is rated ninth. With an all-Scottish side (all Glasgow, really) Jock Stein master-minded the victory over Italy's finest to become the first British club to win the most-coveted honour in club football.

''Although Celtic did not have one inferior player in their ranks, they had outstanding contributors such as Billy McNeill, Bobby Lennox, Jimmy Johnstone, Tommy Gemmell, Bobby Murdoch, and Steve Chalmers.

''Last spot goes to West Germany's 3-2 win over Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final.

''Hungary had been expected to prevail after previously beating the Germans comprehensively, but it was forgotten that players on boths sides had been rested in that game.

''The organisation of Germany under coach Sepp Herberger was so impressive, and his squad played it to perfection.

''The victory marked the beginning of Germany's domination of major championships, and their system has showed little change since.''

THE ENGLISH POLL

1. England 4, West Germany 2, 1966.

2. Real Madrid 7, Eintracht Frankfurt 3, 1960.

3. Brazil 4, Italy 1, 1970.

4. Italy 3, Brazil 2, 1982.

5. Manchester Utd 4, Benfica 1, 1968.

6. Liverpool 4, Newcastle Utd 3, 1997.

7. Charlton Athletic 4, Sunderland 4, 1998.

8. Liverpool 0, Arsenal 2, 1989.

9. Blackpool 4, Bolton Wanderers 3, 1953.

10. England 4, Holland 1, 1996.

THE DOC'S TOP 10

1. Real Madrid 7, Eintracht Frankfurt 3, 1960.

2. Brazil 5, Sweden 2, 1958.

3. England 2, Scotland 3, 1967.

4. England 3, Hungary 6, 1953.

5. Celtic 2, Leeds United 1, 1970.

6. Manchester United 4, Benfica 1, 1968.

7. Argentina 3, Holland 2, 1978.

8. Scotland 3, Holland 1, 1978.

9. Celtic 2, Inter-Milan 1, 1967.

10. West Germany 3, Hungary 2, 1954.