Mates,

I believe there was a similar topic some time back but I can't find it anymore. The reason for me bringing this up again is because The Daily Mail has just released it's list of the top 50 football players in the world that were/are made of steel and have kahunas the size of Texas.

Of the top 10, Liverpool have Tommy "Anfield Iron" Smith at no. 7 and Greame Souness gracing the top spot. Any wonder the former Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle boss has punched his own players?

No 7: The Anfield Iron in his full thunder-thighed glory. 'Tommy doesn't tackle opponents,' quipped Bill Shankly, 'so much as break them down for resale as scrap.' Born and bred within a mile of Anfield, he once handed Jimmy Greaves a hospital menu before a game. Terrifying

No 1: After ruling England and Europe with an iron fist, the sinewy Souness (right) left his studmark on Scottish football just 37 minutes into his Rangers debut. A crunching tackle on Hibs' George McCluskey (hobbling) sparked a 22-man melee at Easter Road. Souness later admitted that he nobbled the wrong man, blaming boss Walter Smith for the premeditated assault. 'Walter said "you've got to be careful because this player will try to leave a bit on you" so I tried to get my retaliation in first,' a contrite Souness remarked. Brutal

For complete listings, visit the following site and click on the desired link (e.g. no. 41 - 50, 31 - 40, etc).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...n.html?ITO=1490

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 16 2009, 11:12 AM

I've not looked through the list but please tell me that Gattuso is NOT in the list

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Added on January 16, 2009, 11:20 amhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2215721.ece

10 Marco Tardelli (Italy)

Jimmy Greaves had Mad Dog Marco’s number. ‘He’s responsible for more scar tissue that the surgeons at Harefield Hospital,’ he observed.

9 Giuseppe Bergomi (Italy)

Looked like a fellow who had been black-balled by the Cosa Nostra for using unnecessary force.

8 Claudio Gentile (Italy)

There was nothing remotely genteel about Claudio, who formed the final leg of Italy’s Bad-Badder-Baddest trio with Bergomi and Tardelli at the 1982 World Cup.

7 Tommy Smith (Liverpool)

The man who made Biffa Bacon look like George Clooney was nicknamed The Anfield Iron. Legend says that Merseyside mothers kept his picture on the mantelpiece to keep their kids away from the fire. Missed the 1978 European Cup Final after tripping on a pickaxe and injuring his foot. The pickaxe was a write-off.

6 Leonel Sanchez (Chile)

The fistic outside-left played a starring role in one of the dirtiest matches in World Cup history – the Battle of Santiago against Italy at the World Cup in 1962. Sanchez, the son of a boxer, knocked out Humberto Maschio with a devastating left hook.

5 Johnny Giles (Leeds United and Ireland)

Harmer Giles graduated from Don Revie’s Academy of the Dark Arts with honours. In a team populated with miscreants, Giles was top of the shop. Chelsea’s Tommy Baldwin said, ‘Giles was the main instigator of the really bad tackles.’

4 Willie Woodburn (Rangers and Scotland)

Scottish centre-half of the 1950s who made Bremner, Mackay et al look like Sassenach milksops. He was kicked out of the game for life by the SFA after incurring a fifth sending off in six years – an astonishing strike rate for the time.

3 Basile Boli (Marseille, Rangers and France)

The only man brave and/or crazy enough to put the head on our own much-loved ‘Psycho’ Pearce. Bad Basile nutted Stuart at Euro 92, and lived to tell the tale. (see No.2)

2 Stuart Pearce (Nottingham Forest and England)

If ever an Englishman had a Heart of Oak it was Pearce – with a head hewn from the same material. When Boli butted him in Malmo (see No 3) Pearce felt nowt and got on with the game. That’s a man, my son.

1 Andoni Goikoetxea (Athletic Bilbao)

Everyone expected the Spanish Inquisition when they faced this mean hombre. The Butcher of Bilbao was plainly at least one prawn short of a paella, and delighted in reducing star names to rubble. Pride of place in the living room of El Sod was a glass case, containing one football boot. The boot he had used to destroy Diego Maradona’s ankle ligaments. Aye caramba!


This post has been edited by blinky: Jan 16 2009, 11:20 AM

and Keane's rival Vieira is not there too...

where vierra n gatusso??? the most gangsta player in seria a....

Funny stuff. I remember watching Bergomi play and he was a tought nut.

If you click on the link I posted, you'll notice he is amongst the top 20.

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Added on January 16, 2009, 11:27 amSigh this is what makes me think a lot of people post without reading. Click on the link for the full list lah.

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Added on January 16, 2009, 11:34 amAs to any queries regarding why your fav hardman isn't there, well I think the following answers should quell your curiosity:

1) The list is based on opinion.
2) There are harder men you possible haven't seen.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 16 2009, 11:34 AM

46 Tony Pulis (Bristol City)

34 - Gennaro Gattuso (Rangers, AC Milan)

30 Mark Hughes (Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, Blackburn)

27 Alan Shearer (Southampton, Blackburn, Newcastle)

23 John Terry (Chelsea)

22 Patrick Vieira (AC Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan)


Never know Pulis so keng

Interesting topic. The league of extraordinary

About Tommy Smith, i found it classy for the following

Horrifying, but funny at the same time, haha

I've heard that Vinny has since succumbed to the pull of alcohol and got into a pub brawl. He's facing jail time now.

To be honest, don't really rate them as hard, Viera is not hard, not as hard as Keane, Vinnie Jones, heck, he's not even as hard as Gerrard or Ince. Gattuso got his "hardness" from his time with Rangers, so he may be hard for Serie A, but to be included in the list? Don't think so.

I would've voted for Souey as well, there's this match where he was playing for Boro, he went into a tackle with his studs up, missed the ball completely, caught the opposition player just above the thigh, and dragged his foot down. As the player was lying on the ground writhing in pain, he proceed to go over him and start yelling at him, telling him to stop play acting! That is hard for you, and of course, those kind of thing don't exist anymore in the game these days, a tackle like that is very likely to get him banned for life, but not uncommon in those days.

He even played with his socks rolled down to the boots, showing his opposition that his is NOT wearing shinpads. A complete nutter if you ask me.

Was Santokh Singh a hard man?

but seriously, if i were a winger, i would at the thought of facing Stuart Pearce

This post has been edited by nando: Jan 16 2009, 01:39 PM

Although he's not really a winger, I can imagine C Ronaldo coming up against him, he probably would not be as good and be shipped out to Spain.

Sweat don't understand why have to bring ronaldo into this scene....

anyway the Pulis and Souness really take their game n implement the toughness in their managerial time....

If it offends you that much, then I apologise, it was just an example, but then again, if it makes you feel better, Let me rephrase it too:

I can imagine right wingers in the league coming up against him, he'd probably break their legs and made future stars such as those from Portugal cringe at the thoughts of facing him and not come to play in England.

Is that better?

This post has been edited by Jonno: Jan 16 2009, 02:04 PM

has to be ben tatcher. he's legendary
with his serious look afta that challenge on mendes.

another one is kevin davies.
he is in the premier league top 2 foul makers for the last 4 or 5 years

Why would you even consider Vieira as a gangsta player in Serie A. Vieira may have a bad reputation but he's not exactly what you call the toughmen as in Vinnie Jones, Souness and etc. He dives into tackles but he has never viciously hurt someone or played with the intention to teach the opposition player a lesson. No doubt his sending off record isn't the prettiest but i've seen him play more than enough matches to say that his red cards are not the "hard man tackle red cards" but rather mistimed challenges or double booking and sometimes dissent.

You know the shitz Gazza been going thru now...his alcoholism, the wife beating, the public disorder and the mental problem he's suffering now...i have a feeling its a result of that squeeze by Vinnie Jones.