Billy Whitehurst

http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/2012/01/the-harder-they-come-big-billy-whitehurst/

 

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Hewn from granite; a breed apart. Once saw him at BP clatter a goalkeeper so hard I actually thought he was dead. (The keeper, not Billy). The touch of a rhino. The skills of a hippo. The speed of a sloth. But no one had the courage to tell him. So he prospered. Legend.

 

I always remember during a particular game where Big Billy had just flattened one of the opposition and as their physio started to run on some wag behind us shouted out "I should just take a spade"!

 

Can you imagine him playing today with the after match scrutiny. Any offence that the ref missed would end up with a ban. So glad i got to see him play.

 

I think he now works for my company and one of the graduates who was working on the the same site says he is still as hard and respected as ever

 

I'm so gutted I never saw him play.

 

He never played, he slayed.

Along with Ash, my favourite City player ever.

 

I've not enjoyed the anticipation of any individual player since him.

My favourite player & along with Les Mutrie my favourite forward line.

 

Big Billy......Legend

 

He's definitely up there . I unfortunately didn't get to see him in the flesh - thank goodness !

http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/2012/01/the-harder-they-come-big-billy-whitehurst/....courtesy BoothferryLegend...

Jock Davidson of City was another. Graeme Souness (Liverpool & Montreal Olympique of all places ), Norman Hunter (Leeds), "Chopper" Harris (Chelsea), Dave Mackay (Spurs) I did see. Hunter was insane....
Wish I'd had the pleasure of seeing him play,the one who appears on every list of hard-men I've seen published.....Whitehurst.

Game's too soft these days IMO.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jul/04/1

Skinner Normanton, who Michael Parkinson never stopped talking about, must have been right up there.

 

Good 30 min TalkSport interview.

http://talksport.com/radio/richard-...6/billy-whitehurst-joins-keys-and-gray-185470

 

Recall watching Big Bill terrorise opposing defenders, and his partnership with Keith Edwards was a match made in heaven, total opposites. I also recall hearing a story regarding a tiger players day out at Springhead Golf Club where Billy was playing into a green as one of the ground staff were cutting a fresh hole, Billy played it in while the staff was still there and unusually for Big Bill actually hit the green with the ball running somehwere close to the hole, only for the groundsman to cut a fresh hole much further away from Bill`s ball ! Billy upset that his shot of the year had been spoiled raced up to the green and planted the greenkeeper and was dragged off by his playing companions. Oh how legends are made !

 

If BIG NICK P. could get some of Billys toughness then we would be well in business.

As for Whitehurst, Legend. Him and Frankie Bunn made a great pair back in there day.

 

Isnt it common concensus that he ****ing hated Bunn?

 

Bloody funny man is Billy. He even denied re-arranging Bruce Snrs nose......

 

I'm starting to dislike this whole bogus 'Soccer AM-style personality cult around Billy.

I enjoyed his rise from hapless hod carrier to superior target man who took no prisoners, and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy his bullying of defenders and his riling opposition fans as he bashed up their defensive hardman.

But making him out to be a sort of larger than life Desperate Dan thicko out of a Viz comic does him and the team he played in a disservice.

In the early days he was ironically cheered cos he was so bad and he knew it.

The real story to relate is how he turned from dross to dreadnought under the expert tutelage of Chris Chilton, not tales of drink, turds and fighting.

(Sorry, got my serious hat on today)

 

Fair point!

 

I remember Billy and the equally huge Frankie Bunn stampeding downfield towards a very pale lone defender.

 

I seem to recall him scoring with his face rather than a header. I think he and Keith Edwards scored against Liverpool in the FA cup game. Glad someone took a few lumps out of Allen Hansen!