The death of the Hard Man
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- Written by Fraser Ball
Over a pint in my local recently the conversation turned to the so called “hard man,” John Terry, and his tears after missing a penalty in the Champions League final. It got me thinking about the days when men were men and the role of the enforcer in a football team was as important as the goal scorer.
In times gone by these characters were commonplace, but now I fear the days of the hard man are over. With players in the top flight so valuable and highly paid maybe they are gone forever. It’s a damn shame.
How entertaining would it be to see Cristiano Ronaldo step-overing his way into a two-footed tackle by Stuart Pearce? Or Frank Lampard catching a Norman Hunter left hook?