Hardest Football Players...Do Any Exist In The Premier League These Days?

It is an age-old debate that is still discussed amongst many football fans. Who is the hardest player in the Premier League? Whilst I realise the article topic is a little diluted, I do think it is worth talking about; if simply for entertainment value. I also value the thoughts of football fans who may enlighten me on how a player is judged to be 'HARD' these days. I intend to focus on the Premier League's hardest players from my era (90's, 00's) and decide if the cliché is a thing of the past. I would also appreciate some feedback on hardest football players from back in the day (circa 60's and 70's) and how these players have been given such a prestigious label!

Was Duncan Ferguson the hardest player ever to grace the Premier League? Photo: Daily Mail.

Growing up watching football in the 1990's I now realise how different the game is. When I think of who is deemed a 'hard' football player, it tends to evoke memories of solid tackles, strength with and without the ball and causing opposition players to fear you. So who comes to mind? Well, what I do not want to do is attempt to rank them in any particular order, but rather discuss briefly why I believe each player could go down as the Premier League's hardest.

Firstly, Jaap Stam would strike me as an obvious choice. A solid Dutch centre-back full of grit and never afraid to put his body on the line for the cause. His days at Man Utd are obviously what I recall. At 6ft 3in he certainly was not short; and he was almost as wide as he was tall! The thing I liked most about Jaap Stam was his approach to every tackle. You had a sense that his commitment on the field was unrivalled, and that every tackle was made with complete commitment in mind. An honest centre-back and certainly hard!

Neil Ruddock, or 'Razor Ruddock' as he became known over the years was true English grit. Wandsworth-born Ruddock was a rock at centre-back for Liverpool, he would never duck out of a tackle or bottle a big challenge. Media attention over the years exposed his problems off the field; mainly linked to alcohol and his weight, but I do not care! For this particular article his presence is unquestionable. His famous incident with Eric Cantona will stick in the memory. Cantona's suggestions that Ruddock was fat were greeted by Ruddock turning down the Frenchman's collar. A later incident with Arsenal's Patrick Viera was also poignant. An old-fashioned English centre-back who's robust style of play throughout his career made for excellent viewing. 

Patrick Viera spits and Neil Ruddock following an exchange of words. Photo: Independant. 

Colin Hendry was Scotland's 1990's answer to a concrete centre-back. Despite starting his career at Dundee Utd, for me his second spell at Blackburn Rovers was his finest. The thing that struck me about Hendry (from what I recall), was that he would literally put any part of his body in the way of the ball. He was not a dirty player as such, simply a player who would strive to stop the opposition scoring at any cost. He came from a different footballing era (like the others mentioned in this article) where diving did not exist. If Hendry took a hit he was up in seconds ready to clatter the next Striker who tried to get the better of him. I also believe that alongside Shearer and Sutton's sterling partnership, Hendry was a massive part of Blackburn's title-winning campaign. He once described his occasional use of the elbow as simply 'shrugging off another player'. A Scottish great who's powerhouse approach is a distant memory these days. 

Julian Dicks was must be the Premier League's (if not the World's) hardest left-back. Despite starting his playing career at Birmingham City in 1985, I cannot help but feel that Dicks' style of play would have been even better suited to an earlier era. A solid tackler who played with his heart on his sleeve, Dicks was rock-solid for West Ham during two spells at the club. Booked and sent off so many times in his career is perhaps why I think of him. Many football fans forget he had an outstanding left foot, which bagged him the majority of his 50 West Ham goals. Solid through to the core, Dicks is will always be a Hammers favourite. 

Stuart Pearce will be remembered most for his 401 appearances at Nottingham Forest, where he played under the watchful eye of legend Brian Clough. Pearce would rival Julian Dicks as one of the greatest English full-backs of his era. He established his name as a full-back who's combative and solid approach to defending was often hard but fair. His passion and commitment to the cause was unrivalled at the time. The heartache experienced at the World Cup in 1990 was clear to see. Pearce's penalty miss reduced him to tears; an image that showed what playing for his Country meant to him as an individual. He laid these memories to rest when he scored a penalty in the shootout against Spain in Euro 96. Earning the nickname 'Psycho', we all recall the emotional and passionate celebration that followed his goal. A hero in England eyes he is certainly one of the hardest.

Vinnie Jones is renowned as a football 'hard man' more than a quality footballer by many. Jones' style of play was to intimidate his opponents, a style he implemented most famously as the leader of Wimbledon's so called 'Crazy Gang'. An image that remains with many football fans was when Vinnie grabbed Paul Gascoigne by the plumbs during a game between Wimbledon and Newcastle; presumably to get inside Gascoigne's head during the game. Vinnie himself said that "their are things that go on which the spectator's don't see and the referee doesn't see". He went on to say that things like "giving the opponent a nice lump behind the ear", "the poke in the eye when your not looking" and "following down the back of his achilles with your studs" were little tricks of the trade! Two-footed tackles and punches resulted in countless red cards. His famous appearance in the 1988 FA Cup final saw him come face to face with Liverpool's hard man Steve McMahon. After clattering McMahon early on Wimbledon went on to win the game; something Vinnie said was helped by his early challenge. I think it is fair to say that Vinnie's style would not sit well in the modern day, but a definite hard man of his time. 

Vinnie Jones gets to grips with Paul Gascoigne in a famous image. Photo: Daily Mail.

Roy Keane is one of the key name that sticks in my minds as being a hard man in the Premier League. A robust centre midfielder who I think was feared by Sir Alex Ferguson as much as the opponents on a Saturday afternoon! Keane famously suffered a cruciate ligament injury when  heattempted to tackle Alf-Inge Haland early in the 1997/98 season. At the same time Haland accused Keane of faking injury as a way of covering up an attempt to injure the player himself. Four years down the line and Roy Keane was still seeking revenge. He got it in a Manchester derby match, where his knee-high challenge on Haland saw him sent off. Keane eluded that he "Fucking hit him hard" and said "take that you cunt" following the incident. Further disputes arose over the years, most notably with Alan Shearer and Patrick Viera for seperate incidents. Ever the hard man, Keane is now renowned as a Manager for speaking his mind and saying it exactly how he sees it. 

Roy Keane's challenge was nothing short of obscene. Photo: Redlog.

Last but by no means least is Duncan Ferguson, who gets my vote as the hardest player to ever play in the Premier League. Stilrling-born Ferguson stands at a modest 6ft 4in and played as an out and out striker throughout his career. Whilst it is not possible to sum up his worth as the hardest man in just a short article, it is worth mentioning some of the more notable incidents. 

Ferguson shares the title of most Red Cards with Patrick Viera, with a total of eight. This combined with 37 bookings showed he had little time for anyone who came near him. Famously he 'threw' Paul Ince during a Merseyside derby after Ince had made a late but weak challenge on Ferguson. 'Big Dunc' also found time in his career to punch Wigan's Paul Scharner in the stomach, a punch that Scharner himself said was "a nice punch". A famous clip of Jimmy Bullard not knowing whether to laugh or cry soon circulated the airways. Ferguson has a total of four convictions for assault, one of which was when he head-butted an opponent when playing for Rangers earlier in his career; seeing him spend three months in jail. Perhaps most notoriously, Ferguson's home was burgled by two unsuspecting criminals who must have had no idea who was in the house. Ferguson apprehended one of the burglars so badly that he spent three days in hospital. His style of play as a striker in the Premier League was superb to watch. He managed to strike fear into opposition defenders who had the unfortunate job of marking him. Duncan Ferguson; without doubt the hardest and most feared player to play in the Premier League. 

In the modern day it might be considered fair to say that the cliche 'hard' footballers are not made like they used to be. It would have been interesting to have seen the likes of Joey Barton play alongside Vinnie Jones and Roy Keane in a Premier League encounter. The arrogant and thuggish nature that Barton possesses would have been promptly quashed by a grab the bollocks, a poke in the eye or even a good old fashioned knee-high assault!

So, who do you think could be considered a hard man in the modern game? and do you think we'll ever see hard men in the Premier League like we used to?

DH