We used to have a centre half i think his name was John Mcgrath he would emerge with his shorts tucked high either side of his massive thighs and lumber on the pitch he looked hard - not dirty just intimadating anyone else with memories of a Saints player that looked that way ?
John McGrath was hard. Gave me a lift once when I was hitch hiking back from Bournemouth. Swore a lot as I recall! Oooh Terry Hurlock. Don't know if he looked hard as such but I wouldn't have messed with him. Brian O'Neil. Always remember him covered in mud for some reason.
Who could forget Dennis Hollywood, his battles with Mike Summerbee were brutal, garanteed one of them would end up in the crowd.
I was telling my son about this the other day. He didn't believe it when I told him that they basically played without the bal, quite content to kick lumps out of one another. Does anyone remember what started it all? As for Mark Dennis, I wouldn't say he 'looked' hard. He was more your sneaky looking. Very tough player though. Another one who would fit this sub-category was Steve Williams. For all his silky skills he could dish out some very nasty tackles.
The "Ale house foolballers" title of the sixties was well earned. Our love affair with hard nuts (we've had loads over the years) was quite long standing, although I can't think of anyone particularly tough after Hurlock. please log in to view this image DAVID WEBB I can remember seeing Webby stop an opposition player by diving headlong at him, effectively using his head as a battering ram. Not the dirtiest player we ever had but tough as nails.
Remembering all the hard nuts since I've been following Saints, the hardest has to be John McGrath. You knew saw him injured, or complaining to the referee. He got it dished out to him by opposing CFs and gave it back in spades. I remember another hard nut, Jimmy Case speaking in awe of John McGrath, as he'd been told stories of JM from fellow pros, who said being tackled by John was like being hit by a bar of iron. John McGrath never sought to injure a player, [unless another Saint was being picked on] but he often did because of the severity of his tackle. He'd take the ball and man, there's no doubt. As mentioned earlier, he would come out of the player's entrance, dragging his toes as he trotted, with his shorts hitched up higher than the look of the 1980s, stinking of Vicks Vapour Rub [can't remember what it actually was], and he was always the last by at least a good 30 seconds. To my knowledge, he never came out with the team, To this day, I don't know why he did that.
Jim (made of) Steele took no prisoners and would probably get 10 red cards a season if he played in today's namby pamby game.
My tough 11 would be: Dave Beasant Mark Dennis, John McGrath, Razor Ruddock, Dennis Hollywood Jimmy Case, Brian O'Niel, Terry Hurlock, Terry Paine Kevin Davies, Lee Bernard Sub: Mark Hughes
