Footballs' Hardmen

marcus said:
Im on a few ‘80s football’ FB groups and quite regularly topics are raised about hardmen and it makes me cringe.

shithouses like vinny jones and bilky whitehurst are lorded when in reality they were just shit footballers who kicked and elbowed people

jones in particular is built up to be some tough guy. He ended spurs’ gary stevens career with a totally cowardly attack whilst stevens was lay on the ground. Fashanu shattered gary mabbutts cheek bone too. Just total shit bags

hardmen? Mcmahon was a tough player who could play and give it out and take it. Zabba. Bryan robson. Souness. Etc etc

and even our very own david silva. Got the shit kicked out of him regular. Never moaned once. He was tough.

i played to a reasonable standard and the real tough guys would leave you black n blue without fouling u once and would shake your hand and have a pint with u after.
the gob shites who would run round shouting and yelling and hacking were just tramps
Click to expand...
Absolutely spot on.
Especially re David Silva. I used to wince at some of the tackles he endured...there was a period of play....when Silva was at his height(unplayable) when oppentents systematically targeted his ankle,knowing full well he had problems with it,over the years,i presume it was his left ankle....i used to go mad at refs who allowed this to happen.it was basically..butchery.week in,week put...some teams would take it in turns to take him out just to avoid the yellow card.it made me feel sick..
And yet....Silva never once complained,never shirked a tackle.
That is a hard man.when you have the gifts to play the finest football,you know your being targeted....and you still demand the ball and play Football.
David Silva was definately a hard player.,and the Arsenal FA cup semi final,when he got kicked to bits....that still upsets me to this day.
Thuggery won....cos the ref that day allowed it.sickening.
 
Mo Salah.

Think about it, he gets virtually crippled seemingly every other game but is not only patched up and fit enough to play the next game but quite often picks himself up, dusts himself down and bangs in the penalty resulting from the aforementioned assault. He's a living, breathing miracle.
 
Gerry Gow.
What a player! He had already battled his way up to the old First Division with Bristol City late 70s( check out you tube Bristol City v Liverpool...what a match!) When John Bond announced the 3 new signings for City Hutch Gow and Mcdonald,i knew ,straightaway Cty were going to be a hard team.All 3 of em hardeden battling professional football players,and look at what Gow did to our midfield.i was only a kid really following the Blues through newspaper reports basically....i kid you not ,you could feel the biting tackles from Gow,as City toughened up.i loved those days.from beimg a comical club going nowhere,we stormed to the semi finals of the league cup(thanks alf grey-modetn day michael oliver) the fa cup final....and along the way ,there was our very own hardman Gerry Gow,grabbing our midfield by the scuff of the neck and making City bold tough..and winning games.
Perhaps Gows finest hour..is the legendary 81 fa cup quarter final at Goodison 54,0000...Scored in a 2-2 draw...Tony Coleman on bbc commentary said " its bedlam on the pitch.and its bedlam all around the ground"
Any older Blues will tell you what a violent day that was......Just the scenario for a real hardman to dig in...and Gerry Gow did...we beat them 3-1 in the replay at Maine rd in front of 52,000 fans...

I miss Gerry Gow.
 
Hands down Duncan Ferguson. Put burgler in the hospital for 3 days. Roy Keane said he just stayed away from him on the pitch. Made Paul 'The Guvnor' Ince shit himself on the pitch and punched Schar in the stomach after Schar give him a mouthful in Austrian.

By all accounts a very quiet and reserved man off the pitch who loved his pigeons

 
dennishasdoneit said:
Absolutely spot on.
Especially re David Silva. I used to wince at some of the tackles he endured...there was a period of play....when Silva was at his height(unplayable) when oppentents systematically targeted his ankle,knowing full well he had problems with it,over the years,i presume it was his left ankle....i used to go mad at refs who allowed this to happen.it was basically..butchery.week in,week put...some teams would take it in turns to take him out just to avoid the yellow card.it made me feel sick..
And yet....Silva never once complained,never shirked a tackle.
That is a hard man.when you have the gifts to play the finest football,you know your being targeted....and you still demand the ball and play Football.
David Silva was definately a hard player.,and the Arsenal FA cup semi final,when he got kicked to bits....that still upsets me to this day.
Thuggery won....cos the ref that day allowed it.sickening.
Click to expand...
Used to piss me off this, as a referee can yellow a player for a first foul if the whole team are systematically fouling by taking turns.
 
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