They were the athletes who made the spectators cringe.
The players from West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and Wolverhampton Wanderers rushed the tackle with little concern for themselves or the other team. crowd-pleasers and athletes that went the additional mile for the team. Check out the list of the toughest tacklers to ever play at a local stadium below. Here is a reminder of what we wrote earlier this year in case you missed it. Has somebody been missed? Tell us in the comments section below.
Shaun Teale
At Wembley, the “man of steel” played for Villa despite having a fractured nose because he was so tough. In reality, the defender who sat next to Paul McGrath required four hernia operations, had his medial ligaments shattered, his nose broken twice, his cheekbone depressed, his jaw broken, and damage near his right eye. It’s simple to mistake dirty players for hardmen. However, Teale was tough and precise, he rarely made ill-timed tackles, and opponents felt the full force of his challenge if they were slow to react. He was rock-solid, but his center-half partner was, too, as he remembers: “McGrath was a pretty tough lad. People may not have realized how tough he could be when enraged.
Ally Robertson
Long before Robert Hopkins joined Albion, Alistair Robertson gave the then-Blues midfielder a private tour of The Hawthorns.
The Hawthorns reconstruction began long before any bulldozers showed up during a League Cup replay in the early 1980s when the Baggies center-half sent the young upstart flying over the advertisement hoarding and into the stands. In the tunnel, Robertson was also dismissed for fighting Watford forward and potential Baggies failure George Reilly.
Kevin Muscat
Muscat was a genuine gentleman off the field, despite what Craig Bellamy won’t want you to believe. An absolutely fantastic guy. He was a full-back on there that many wingers wouldn’t choose to face. The operative word is “uncompromising.” Fans admired his dedication.
Martin Jol
Back then, this tall and skinny – yes, tall and skinny – Dutchman went by the name of Maarten and had lank, blond hair. He was capable of taking care of himself.
Jol was hired to take Bryan Robson’s role. And it manifested. Jol kept himself entertained by diving into tackles and generally struggling to keep up with the speed of our game when he wasn’t out enjoying a pint at Carters Green or walking his dog at Dartmouth Park. He used to spend a lot of his early English football career spelling out his name to inexperienced officials. The moment Jol was sent for rucking with Tony Galvin in the 1982 League Cup semifinal first leg versus Spurs was the game’s high point. He wasn’t a typical hard dude. However, he made an effort.
Andy Lochead
Andrew Lorimar Lochhead was able to baldly and brazenly enter Villa legend by sticking that infamous thinning head in where others would be afraid to tread.
The Scottish striker was more fearless than outright hard; if you asked him, he would try to nod a medicine ball into the top corner from 40 yards. Despite making 154 appearances and scoring 25 goals in total while helping Villa win the Third Division and reach the League Cup final in 1971–1972, Lochhead’s legendary status was first attained at Burnley. To view the remaining tough men, follow the links.
