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Thread: The football 'hardman'

  1. #1

    The football 'hardman'

    I grew up with the Keane v Viera era battle and vaguely remember Vinnie Jones. I'm sure many of you would have been part of the dirty Leeds time with Bremner, Souness etc and a will few will remember other players who have not shied out of tackles.

    Looking back there's been a dirty basward in every generation except this one. I can't really think at the moment of any football hardman playing now. The closest I can see is Pepe or Ramos but they're nothing compared to generations gone by.

    Not saying it's a good or bad thing but the game has changed drastically over the last 20 years and will continue to do so with video reffing.

  2. #2

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Norman Hunter bite your leg end of thread

  3. #3

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Norman Hunter
    Tommy Smith
    Ron "Chopper" Harris

    I know we tend to look at the "olden days" with rose tinted glasses, but those three would have Roy Keane for breakfast, phsychos the lot of them. With today's laws/refereeing they'd be sent off after about five minutes.

  4. #4

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by TH63 View Post
    Norman Hunter
    Tommy Smith
    Ron "Chopper" Harris

    I know we tend to look at the "olden days" with rose tinted glasses, but those three would have Roy Keane for breakfast, phsychos the lot of them. With today's laws/refereeing they'd be sent off after about five minutes.
    They wouldn't get close enough to foul today's players.

  5. #5

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Don Murray.
    Alan McInally
    Dave Mackay

  6. #6

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Paul Millar

  7. #7

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    The game has changed so you can't have that type of player anymore or they'd be sent off every week.

    Kyle Walker got booked last night for just being too strong in a 50-50 with the lightweight Lanzini.
    Last edited by J R Hartley; 06-05-17 at 05:27.

  8. #8
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    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Gary Medel ?

  9. #9

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Another hard man from days gone by was Graeme Souness.
    Not only that but he was one hell of a footballer.
    Probably the most complete British midfielder of all time. My opinion only.

  10. #10

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by J R Hartley View Post
    The game has changed so you can't have that type of player anymore or they'd be sent off every week.

    Kyle Walker got booked last night for just being too strong in a 50-50 with the lightweight Lanzini.
    I agree but just wondering who is the closest player to that type playing now.

    We all know the players of old.

  11. #11

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by NYCBlue View Post
    They wouldn't get close enough to foul today's players.
    I hope that's a joke?

  12. #12

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    I always look at in the reverse, anybody can throw themselves into a tackle recklessly. The real hardmen are those getting hit time after time after time and getting up and playing on....Step forward Maradonna (he could lose it now & again mind!) and his country counterpart Messi...Hazard has a hard time of it as well but he like a little role around and sulk too much to be a hardman.

  13. #13

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by OurManFlint II View Post
    I always look at in the reverse, anybody can throw themselves into a tackle recklessly. The real hardmen are those getting hit time after time after time and getting up and playing on....Step forward Maradonna (he could lose it now & again mind!) and his country counterpart Messi...Hazard has a hard time of it as well but he like a little role around and sulk too much to be a hardman.
    Agreed, there's nothing "hard" about intentionally trying to harm someone who's better than you at football

  14. #14

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by Packerman View Post
    Norman Hunter bite your leg end of thread
    Hunter was a milksop compared to Dave Mackay. I saw them both play many times and I would have to say that no one came near to matching Dave Mackay as a hardman on and off the pitch.

  15. #15

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    John Fashanu. Dirty bastard, he tried to end giggs career, only to end his own career, by trying to end giggs career

  16. #16

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Plenty of hardmen/nutters mentioned but, as with lots of lists, most of the players mentioned so far are from the upper echelons of football. Here are a few that I can recall from a bit lower down the pecking order.

    Eric Winstanley
    It always seemed that the City never got much change out of Duncan Forbes and David Stringer of Norwich
    Walter Bingley
    Mark Dennis
    I remember it being said in the Press that just saying the names of the Middlesbrough defence of the early 70s was like chewing iron filings- Frank Spraggon, John Craggs, Stuart Boam, Willie Maddren - a formidable lot when they were Div 2 Champions
    Eric Skeels
    Harry Cripps
    Roger Hynd
    Ian Ure was a fearsome centre half for Arsenal and, in the 3rd round FA cup tie v Arsenal in 1969, John Toshack got absolutely nowhere against him

    I'm sure that there are plenty of others from the lower divisions that posters will recall

  17. #17

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Also, Robin Friday, probably more of a psychopath than hard man mind you

  18. #18
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    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Not necessarily a hard man but a huge lump who looked like a Hollywood bad guy.
    Micky Droy of Chelsea who is described on Wikipedia as uncompromising.

  19. #19

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Dennis wise. That midget could put it about a bit

  20. #20

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by NYCBlue View Post
    They wouldn't get close enough to foul today's players.
    Be sent off all the time these days, can you imagine the darlings of today with billy whitehurst coning at you

  21. #21

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Seemed to have less injuries back in the day though....or maybe it's just me

  22. #22

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by Silures View Post
    Seemed to have less injuries back in the day though....or maybe it's just me
    Not so sure about that, back then careers were ended by injuries that could be fixed today.
    Then again I'd never heard of a "metatarsal" or "cruciate" until about ten years ago

  23. #23

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Billy Whitehurst got to be up there, the bloke was a total loon.

  24. #24
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    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Quote Originally Posted by WJ99mobile View Post
    Looking back there's been a dirty basward in every generation except this one. I can't really think at the moment of any football hardman playing now. The closest I can see is Pepe or Ramos but they're nothing compared to generations gone by.

    Not saying it's a good or bad thing but the game has changed drastically over the last 20 years and will continue to do so with video reffing.
    Gennaro Gattuso was the last of the previous generation to retire.

    The closest we have at the moment is probably Scott Brown of Celtic.

  25. #25

    Re: The football 'hardman'

    Trevor Hockey

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