While football is known as the beautiful game for good reason, there are a collection of fans who unequivocally enjoy the rough and tumble of the ‘hardmen’ – especially of the Premier League, England’s top division since its restructuring back in 1992.
Tony Adams – commonly known as ‘Mr Arsenal’ thanks to his longevity on the red side of north London – was among the archetypal hardmen: players who earn a reputation for their reckless, and fearless, approach to the game.
Becoming one of the best defenders in Premier League history in the process, London-born Adams played a grand total of 656 times for the Gunners between 1983 and 2002 – and, thus, faced plenty of tough opponents in that time frame.
Adams was not afraid to put his head where others feared to put their feet – and, as such, his list of battle scars includes breaking his nose five times. He insisted, however, that things changed post-1990 and injuries were less frequent. Speaking to BirminghamLive, he said:
I had my nose broken by players five times in the 1980s but never got a scratch in the 90s as the game changed.
But who does the former central defender, a four-time winner of the Premier League, believe were the five hardest opponents of his career? Well, the likes of Roy Keane, Stuart Pearce and Patrick Vieira were snubbed in the process, so let’s take a closer look.
Cyrille Regis
Notable clubs: Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa
The 1980s provided Adams, whose post-retirement calendar saw him turn to the world of management, with a plethora of hard-as-nails line-leaders to contain – and the first he name-dropped was former Aston Villa and Coventry City marksman Cyrille Regis, who is a player who typically goes under the radar in these conversations.
Admitting that facing the prospect of a raging Regis in the infancy of his career was a tough ask, he cited the English striker’s combination of sheer strength and physicality – which was later evidenced when he knocked two of Barry Horne’s teeth out with the solitary punch. The defender-turned-manager said:
I came up against Cyrille Regis in one of my first few games. He was so strong and physical.
Mick Harford
Notable clubs: Luton Town, Birmingham City, Wimbledon
Former centre forward Mick Harford was also name-dropped by the 66-cap England international. An integral member of Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang, he was apparently the only player who got a bye from their initiation phase – he, even among his own, was that feared.
Generational in terms of how he relished the hustle and bustle of tough-tackling English football – as evidenced by Martin Keown’s previous comments on his hard-hitting approach in duels, both aerially and on the deck.
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Per MailOnline, the former Arsenal right-back referenced the pair’s meetings of yesteryear. “His favourite trick was to come from side on and smash you with his forearm. I had to have a nerve taken out of my teeth because he hit me so hard.”
John Fashanu
Notable clubs: Wimbledon, Aston Villa, Millwall
John Fashanu, too, was highlighted by Adams for being a tough centre forward. Fashanu placed the fear of daylight into any defender who attempted to contain his talent. Adams touched on when the ex-talisman – formerly of Millwall and Wimbledon – managed to cause harm when they locked horns by simply stating: “Fashanu bust my nose.”
Backing up Adams’ claim, none other than Vinnie Jones once singled out Fashanu. “Ask me one man I’d have in the trenches – and it would be Fash.” the archetypal hardman-turned-actor said.
A twice-capped England international, Fashanu was a striker who would do whatever it took to get himself on the scoresheet, but that didn’t come without his fair share of battles – and he did not back down to those who dared to stand up to him.
Kenny Dalglish
Notable clubs: Liverpool, Celtic
Best remembered for the shedloads of strikes he plundered for Liverpool and Celtic, Kenny Dalglish was equally robust, according to Adams. Insisting his suggestion may come as a shock, perhaps by the fact that he only had to mark the talismanic Scot on three different occasions between 1984/95 and 1986/87, he said:
Kenny Dalglish may be a surprise, but he was very tough.
Dalglish, who is commonly regarded as one of the greatest British players in English top flight history, may have stood at a humble five-foot-eight, but his dainty nature often helped his case – he was forced to be strong and brave, and that he was. On face value, he may not look it but the striker did not shy away from the chaos.
Joe Jordan
Notable clubs: Leeds United, Manchester United, Southampton
On the theme of brazen Scotsmen, Adams also shed light on former Bournemouth, Leeds United and Manchester United marksman Joe Jordan. The two only encountered one another on two occasions – both in the 1984/85 season – but that was enough to strike fear into the Englishman.
Jordan began his career in his native Scotland with Rangers in the 1970s before moving south of the border. Alarming, domineering and a goal threat at that, there were very few defenders in England who enjoyed their battles with the striker-turned-manager. Also named by Graeme Souness as one of his toughest opponents, the multiple title winner deserves his flowers for his intrepid approach to the beautiful game.
Notable Omissions from Adams’ Choices
Vinnie Jones, Duncan Ferguson, Razor Ruddock all snubbed
Irrespective of the fearsome essence of his quintet of names, there are still some very noticeable omissions – Vinnie Jones, Duncan Ferguson (the record-holder for the highest number of red cards, eight, in Premier League history) and Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock all automatically spring to mind.
The latter was a havoc-wreaking centre-back and his size, combined with his tough-tackling nature, would normally make him a shoo-in in these types of selections. Ferguson plied his trade for the likes of Everton during his career and became the first British player to be jailed for an on-field incident.
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Jones, who turned his hand to acting in his post-retirement life rather than punditry or management, was the so-called leader of the Crazy Gang and could play across the engine room in whichever capacity required. N
ot only a fantastic footballer, but one that was goosebump-inducing.
