Who is the hardest player to play at Ibrox

[Gribz 743]

Imagine a team containing Roberts, Brown, Hurlock, I Ferguson, Souness, Albertz, D Ferguson....and they could all play a bit also!

 

The Hammer was a gentle giant but you wouldnt mess with him.

[forlanssister 3,050]

You could nominate a legion of the tough as teak fearless - the entire Iron Curtain, Willie Rae, Telfer, Shearer, Millar, Greig, Forsyth, Souness, Roberts, Hurlock, Brown but foremost is Harold Davis.

 

As well as his defensive duties which he tackled like the clap of doom he ran protection for McMillan and Baxter. It's a team game isn't it?

 

Aye even bullets couldn't stop Davis.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Bobby Shearer was a classic full back in the days when back meant back, few (aside from Francisco Gento) got past him and lived to tell the tale.

 

There is an argument for John Greig but there really is no issue here IMO; it has to be Harold Davis who played football when it was a man's game, after 2 years recovering from bullet wounds, with shrapnel still in his body from the Korean War. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/heroes-2014-soldier-who-cheated-3440222

[JohnMc 2,473]

For us probably Harold Davis, if his story was a Hollywood film you'd dismiss it as being to far-fetched. To be fair there were probably many now long forgotten players saw and did things in their lives we can't comprehend today. All depends on your definition of hard.

 

Against Rangers I'll give you Claudio Gentile, played in the great Juventus side put to the sword at Ibrox in 1978. If you get a chance watch his 'performance' for Italy in the 1982 World Cup, his 'marking' of Maradona in the group matches and then Zico in the match of the tournament against Brazil is quite the eye-waterer.

[scotjo 19]

I'll go for Harold Davis.

 

Ian Ferguson.

[JohnMc 2,473]

Actually, I've been thinking about this again and we've got our definition of 'hard' all wrong. We're all associating it with tough tackling, partial to violence, don't-mess-with-him types. Fine, but genuine hard are the players who went out knowing they'd be kicked, punched, fouled and verbally abused all match, and were still expected to win the game for you. Tommy McClean is no ones idea of a hard man, yet McLean was hacked mercilessly in almost every match he played. This in a time when the tackle from behind was legal and the entire sport accepted serious fouling as simply part of the game. Willie Henderson is another who got kicked every match as did Baxter of course. Before the modern era ball players, the genuinely skilful players, were subjected to almost laughable levels of physical abuse.

 

Kicking people is easy, being kicked, every game, that takes guts.

[Scott7 5,182]

True about McLean and Henderson. Actually, McMillan and Baxter didn't get much because of the ominous presence of retribution at right half.

[Bluedell 5,342]

If it's a "right, outside and let's kick f*** out of each other" type of hard then Hurlock would possibly win that, although Big Dunc may give him a run for his money.

 

However Harold Davis showed a different kind of hardness and I'd go for him.

[pete 2,499]

What about Grahem Roberts is he anywhere near?

[Darthter 542]

Surprisingly not been mentioned yet (I don't think...)

 

Big Terry Butcher.....NEVER pulled out of a tackle, and had no problems putting his head/body where others feared to go. 100% committed.