Most Thuggy Saints Player (with Pic)

Agree with Brian O'Neil, Terry Hurlock, Mark Dennis and what about Joe Jordan his looks alone (especially with his teeth out) were thuggish. Someone could cleverely put together a team of thugs 1 - 11.

Jordan's a good call, I remember a match at the Dell, he and Imre Varadi (I think) were running shoulder to shoulder next to the touch line, Joe gave him a little nudge & Varadi ended up in row A of the East Stand, and if you recall it was quite a drop from the pitch into the crowd. Jordan went over to take a look & ran off doing a clenched fist salute to his team mates and with a huge toothless grin across his face.

Jim Steele anyone, blimey, how can we miss him out.

Jim McCalliog was a bit tasty on the odd nasty tackle.

Wasn't it Terry Hurlock, who in his match day programme profile said, in the "Greatest Dislike" section: "a dodgy pint"...:-)

Shankly's Liverpool v Alehouse Brawlers!

Maybe not a thug but his nickname deserves a shout micheal KILLER svensson

Will add this guy:

Any excuse to post this

Any excuse to post this

 

Absurd tackle.

A bit like this one. What the hell was he thinking?

Any excuse to post this

 

I was waiting for someone to mention Frannie.

I remember watching him once against QPR when he spent the entire game kicking lumps out of Les Ferdinand. Les was clean through at one point, but having Frannie bearing down on him like a psychopathic ferret was enough to put him completely off the chance and sky it into row z. We still lost mind, no thanks to Dave Beasant.

A few of them mentioned here...

https://phildouch.bandcamp.com/track/frightening-the-hard-men

Another vote for Ruddock. I still remember the 92 (I think) ZDS Cup Final when Ruddock and Stuart Pearce went in for a full on tackle. I swear a small mushroom cloud arose and through the dust both players got up, brushed themselves down and just got on with the game.

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Will add this guy:

 

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New boots Tahar?

 

He could also play, in fact he was absolutely brilliant for us, but Casey always loved a tackle and was an enforcer for the younger generation of Le Tissier, the Wallaces, Shearer etc coming through. I'd have backed him against Hurlock any day; it was a sad day when Branfoot saw Jimmy as a threat to his authority and binned him out.

 

A really great bloke, too.

This all day long

In my time it has to be Mark Dennis, a bit of a loon but also an absolute fantastic left back - one of the best in SFCs history. Dennis was in the Stuart Pearce mould but never got the same acclaim because he was a bit of a nutter.

Fights, stabbings, 53 day bans (for elbowing Ossie Ardilles in the face), more sendings off than I can remember, a long list of clubs, 'I hate you Nicholl' headlines in the tabloids, a liking for Colombian marching powder - traits that are not exactly going to endear you to other football clubs but what a player.

His wife was a bit tasty too, multiple bust ups and police interventions during a lively marriage.

Haven't seen a pic so here's one of the man in his prime.

In my time it has to be Mark Dennis, a bit of a loon but also an absolute fantastic left back - one of the best in SFCs history. Dennis was in the Stuart Pearce mould but never got the same acclaim because he was a bit of a nutter.

 

Fights, stabbings, 53 day bans (for elbowing Ossie Ardilles in the face), more sendings off than I can remember, a long list of clubs, 'I hate you Nicholl' headlines in the tabloids, a liking for Colombian marching powder - traits that are not exactly going to endear you to other football clubs but what a player.

 

His wife was a bit tasty too, multiple bust ups and police interventions during a lively marriage.

 

Haven't seen a pic so here's one of the man in his prime.

 

That boy could cross a ball, that day (pic) was a day to forget tho

Mark Dennis no diubt

I remember Peter Osgood telling a tale at SMS of distracting the Ref while one of his then Chelsea team mates smashed the defender who had been putting him on his backside all afternoon. TV cameras everywhere back then would have given most of these players a very monochrome career.

That was John McGrath and the Chelsea player was Ian Hutchinson. Ossie asked if Hutch had hit him and the response was positive, but he'd broke his hand on his head.

Docker Walker sounds class, wish I was old enough to have seen him boss a striker.

David Walker ...pity you missed him. He was like " the silent killer.".....always got his man, and often when the ref. was looking the other way.

With him and John McGrath as CB's ....it was a brave (or foolish) striker who tried to get the better of them.

In my time it has to be Mark Dennis, a bit of a loon but also an absolute fantastic left back - one of the best in SFCs history. Dennis was in the Stuart Pearce mould but never got the same acclaim because he was a bit of a nutter.

 

Fights, stabbings, 53 day bans (for elbowing Ossie Ardilles in the face), more sendings off than I can remember, a long list of clubs, 'I hate you Nicholl' headlines in the tabloids, a liking for Colombian marching powder - traits that are not exactly going to endear you to other football clubs but what a player.

 

His wife was a bit tasty too, multiple bust ups and police interventions during a lively marriage.

 

Haven't seen a pic so here's one of the man in his prime.

 

Lawrie McMenemy was convinced he could tame Mark Dennis, and he suceeded in part.....at least his yellow /red card count was reduced significantly in his Saints days.

Maybe not a thug but his nickname deserves a shout micheal KILLER svensson

Michael Svensson was tough, rather than dirty....but let's face it .....it's a man's game - isn't it ?

Svensson disliked the fans name (Killer) for him, but reluctantly accepted it in good heart.

He once explained that the name (Killer) was from a bad translation of a comment from fellow Swede Fredrick Ljungberg.

They both played in the Swedish League, and being a star player at the time (Ljungberg) came in for some "special attention" from Svensson when ever they met.

Ljungberg's reaction was to say that " it was murder " playing against Svensson. The rest of the story was lost in translation.

Shankly's Liverpool v Alehouse Brawlers!

......that was down to John McGrath, who was " effective " rather than skilful, and the comment came in that infamous game at the Dell.

Shankly paid £1 million (not a small sum in those days) for teenager Alun Evans from Wolves, who had turn of speed that would have put a few greyhounds to shame.

On the occasion in question, Evans broke loose down the right wing and was clear of Saints' defenders. McGrath was the "last man", but when he got up to speed resembled a slow moving Centurion Tank. In the last few strides, he threw himself in front of Evans who bounced off his chest and fell to the ground like a dead man.

Eventually revived by St.John's Ambulance men, Evans was stretchered off the pitch, with arms and legs hanging over the sides like Pinocchio with his strings cut, whilst Shankly was going beserk on the touchline. He should have been more realistic...any manager who played Ron Yeats knew the job a CB has to do.

Sounds serious, and so it did at the time, but McGrath knew his job and did it very effectively, even to practicing head-butts on the dressing room wall before each game.

Big John could head a ball further than most could kick it ... neck muscles something else.

now this was my era.

I recall one occasion when the opposition won a free kick just inside the Saints half. Everyone else crowded our penalty area, and as the kick came in .... McGrath was first up to meet it ......and headed the ball back over the astonished kicker's head .....Now that does take some doing.......

Joe Jordan - another tough individual

Shoot me if I am wrong, but wer'nt the "back headers of Big Ron pretty lethal. I did'nt see Cliff Huxford get a metionn either; maybe my age is starting to show.

One i have not seen mentioned is Terry Paine, quite happy to give it out if required and nasty with it

Can't find any decent pictures of Brian "Buddha" O' Neil in action with his socks rolled down to his ankles, shirt untucked and cheeky tigerish snarl!!

He managed to earn himself a 9 week ban in an era that you needed to commit GBH to get a booking

Can't find any decent pictures of Brian "Buddha" O' Neil in action with his socks rolled down to his ankles, shirt untucked and cheeky tigerish snarl!!

 

He managed to earn himself a 9 week ban in an era that you needed to commit GBH to get a booking

Now that took some doing!

Out of players I've seen (post 1975) it has to be Hurlock. Insanely hard. I remember a Hurlock v Steve McMahon incident in the first minute of one game and Terry absolutely binned him. Hard man Steve hung around at right back for the rest of the game, keeping well out of the way.