Hardest and wimpiest Town players?

Quoted from ex-merseymariner

Should add loads from the Newell era... always thought Devitt  would be wimpiest in most sides but at least he tried where others in that era were, as confirmed by linwood recently, massively unprofessional.  Not necessarily wimpy but disinterested is similar.

Has nobody mentioned Mark Lever yet?

Yes. I gave him an ‘honourable mention’ and someone else said he never pulled out of a challenge. Not the most skilful of players but was a rock for many years on which Buckley’s teams could perform their wonders.

Have to disagree about Devit. When we were relegated at Burton he was clattered early on and hurt his shoulder. He played on but had to be eventually substituted.  He had a broken shoulder and must have been in a lot of pain.

Quoted from mimma

Have to disagree about Devit. When we were relegated at Burton he was clattered early on and hurt his shoulder. He played on but had to be eventually substituted.  He had a broken shoulder and must have been in a lot of pain.

That supports what I was saying, remember him as being one who cared in a season where any didn't 😐

Obviously his tenure was somewhat tainted by the challenge that effectively ended the career of a Scunny player, but I always thought Ben Chapman was a right tough nut, but not in a dirty way.  I didn't see the Peter Morrison challenge so can't comment on it.

Greg Young, double dislocation of his shoulder away at Chesterfield and carried on.  Irony that he was in the same team as self-proclaimed hard man who went missing whenever it mattered Jamie Lawrence.  

I think Whittle gets my nod for just pure hardness.  Made of granite I'm sure but never acted the hard man in the slightest, just went about his business quietly.

I like the Groves shout, another who just went about his business without feeling the need to wave his willy about.  

Regards Childs, I think he became 'wimpier' after he was snapped in two by a Southend player - I think it was Peter Butler but I can't be sure.  He was never the bravest of players but that really seemed to set him back a bit on that front.  

Not sure how hard he was but Tony Rees had a real short fuse.  My abiding memory of him isn't his endless back heels, but more scoring an overhead kick away at Halifax (I think) and rather than basking in his glory, instead turning round and smacking the centre-back, who appeared to have done nothing wrong.

Quoted from mimma

Rod Green was bloody hard. Last I heard of him he was doing time for armed robbery (I think).

Not that I ever knew him but I feel I must defend him regarding the armed robbery suggestion!! Here is an obituary from the Halifax Courier. He seems an eccentric devoted family man. He died just over 2 years ago. RIP.

https://www.halifaxcourier.co......s-aged-79-199540?amp

That I've seen:

Pouton
Whittle
Gowling
Lever
Whittle

Wimpiest - too many to mention

I would definitely have Sir Paul Groves high on the list.

If you check out Mr Karren Brady’s shin-kisser on Handyside(s) vs Fulham in 1998, Groves consoles ex-teammate Peschisolido-Brady (classy), then throws himself in front of Hayward and Bite Your Balls Brevett to protect a prone Peter (hard).  

As people have said above, Grovesy kept his love truncheon sellotaped to his thigh, there was no need for him to wave it about the place like a policeman during the miner’s strike.


Similarly, Jacky Lester’s Diego Costa-ing, took some cojones. It took a brave man to wind-up some of the hard defenders he used to play against most weeks. I’m amazed he never got chinned, but he was probably too slippery.

So the consensus is:

Hardest: Centre backs, ball winning midfielders, target men.

WImpiest: Wingers.

Who'd have thunk it  

Who did Tony Rees and Tommy Watson get sent off against for having a ‘disagreement’ with each other? Wrexham?

And what was the cause? Had Tommy tried to shave his Parmesan on Tony’s spaghetti vongole?

Tony Rees looked like a psycho. Like a lovechild of Freddie Mercury and wee Franco Begbie from Trainspotting.

Mark Lever was like a llama. He looked quite docile and you could knit a pullover out of his fringe. But then if you tried to shave a funny haircut on him, and put it on Instagram, he’d have bitten your fingers off.