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Hard As Nails


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Gerry Gow and Shaun Taylor were both the toughest but in different ways.Taylor was just able to hold to own and more in the physical battles.I remember him being flattened at Sheffield Wednesday in the Cup a few years back.The Wednesday player got sent off but Taylor having been knocked on his ass by a terrific blow simply bounced back up and trotted away as nothing had happened.Impressive..

Gow on the other hand was an all round hard man.No-one liked playing against him and he tackled harder than any player I've ever seen.Not only did he dish it out but he took it as well.I remember him tackling Liverpools Kennedy near the old tunnel at AG and Kennedy landed on his back ouitside the dugout.Later in the game Kennedy did the same to Gow.Both players were laughing about it.Great days

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Glenn Humphries. Centre half mid 80s

Remember him going head to head with Andy Mutch in a nite game v Wolves and screaming at him. He looked like such a meathead and was investigated for an assualt on a nurse at the BRI.

Predictably nicknamed "psycho". Did form a decent partnerhip with John Pender for a while. Wonder what he does nowadays.

Actually I don't wanna know.

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He may look like a puff but I do think Beckham is pretty hard e.g his continuous brawling during the Turkey match.

For city I would have to say Shaun Taylor was our hardest. The good thing about him as well was that he looked the part too!

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John Emmanuel.

This was a report in a National Newspaper after an away game at West Brom.

"Emmanuel, took the ball from Willie Johnstone (a psycho Scots Winger for the younger generation) in a hard but fair tackle. Johnstone chased after him, pummelling him in the back with both fists! When the trainer managed to get Johnstone to come round, the referee sent them both off!"

I always loved that report for missing out the tremendous right hook that JE felled the Mad so & so with.

He was a ex-welsh miner who the City got in to replace Gow when he was injured or banned, but he did a great job for us.

Those of you who complain about current players drinking habits may like to know that Gow (alllegedly) drank a bottle of whisky a day in his prime!

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Gow on the other hand was an all round hard man.No-one liked playing against him and he tackled harder than any player I've ever seen.Not only did he dish it out but he took it as well.I remember him tackling Liverpools Kennedy near the old tunnel at AG and Kennedy landed on his back ouitside the dugout.Later in the game Kennedy did the same to Gow.Both players were laughing about it.Great days

Not to mention the time he broke Stan Bowles' leg, also in front of the dug outs as I recall. Such incidents were just regarded as an unfortunate occupational hazard by players back then.

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Not to mention the time he broke Stan Bowles' leg, also in front of the dug outs as I recall. Such incidents were just regarded as an unfortunate occupational hazard by players back then.

I'd forgotten that! amazing what time does to yer whatsitcalled??

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Carl Shutt. Anyone else remember the time at Walsall, in the play-off replay, when he had a great shot saved by the keeper for a corner. As the corner was about to be taken and the usual 6 yard box melee was taking place, Shutty turned and laid a right hander squarely on the keepers jaw. He was rightly sent off. Incidentally, this was the same day that the pitch was lined with police dags who were snapping at everything that moved, including City players trying to take a throw in.

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I'd have placed Gow above Hunter, but looking through the club's history, in the early 1900s we had "Hammer" Clement in midfield. His nickname described his style of play. Unfortunately there's probably no one left alive who saw him play and can compare him to any of the more recent players.

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Definitely Norman Hunter but running him close would be Mike Thresher. He played left back in the late 50's early 60's.

Neither of the above would last 5 mins now but they played when men were men and players didn't need a diploma in drama to play the game.

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Glenn Humphries. Centre half mid 80s

Would have to agree after watching him end Peter Withe's career with a right elbow which fractured his cheek-bone; the amazing thing was no officials saw it and nothing ever came from it; I often wonder if I just dreamt it :Confused13:

Modern day and in to the Premeirship; it has to be Alan Shearer for me. Not because he gives it out although you watch him closely he frequently does. For me, it's the way defenders constantly tackle him hard and he just gets up and gets on with it.

Plus there is obviously the story when he did get angry and decked a gobby team mate on tour (who was it!!??). And when Keane through a punch, Shearer just looked at him as if to say was that it. Absolutely quality player as well.

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Carl Shutt. Anyone else remember the time at Walsall, in the play-off replay, when he had a great shot saved by the keeper for a corner. As the corner was about to be taken and the usual 6 yard box melee was taking place, Shutty turned and laid a right hander squarely on the keepers jaw. He was rightly sent off. Incidentally, this was the same day that the pitch was lined with police dags who were snapping at everything that moved, including City players trying to take a throw in.

That walsall match was unbelievable....we went behind to a hatrick in the first 20 mins and the west midlands police spent the next 70mins winding us up...

It ended up with the police sending dogs and horses onto the terraces and chasing us all out of the ground...and there was no trouble from us...we were gutted to be out of the playoffs, but not violent.

An old lady next to me had her leg bitten really badly by a dog, i went to help her and was chased away by the police.

There were a number of off duty policemen on my coach from Avon and Somerset and they were so angry at what they had seen...they made all sorts of complaints and they were just further wound up by the local wlasall police...

It was an abosolute disgrace....and they wondered why 2 off their vans were over turned!

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Guest BTR_FTG

Whilst I'd go for St Gerald Of Gow as Il Capo di Capo Tutti, I'd dispute City Rocker's recollection of the Bowles incident. Whilst Stan himself had much to say of the City fans (sic) & the St John's Ambulance service after the incident (great sports biography BTW) he reports the tackle much as I remember it. I was in the Open End not far from the gap between it & the Williams. Stan the Man, on a very greasy surface, attempted to control the ball on the touchline & in a most innocuous challenge went over. It was my first experience of what I had long held to be my father's footballing myth, in that, when the footballer's leg broke it sounded like a shotgun had been fired in the ground. One hell of a crack but without hint of the malice that soured Stuart Houston's injury.

Whilst Gow was the enforcer's enforcer he wasn't a dirty player in the Billy Bremner mould. More of a Dave MacKay, committed, hard, fair & without knowledge of how to back out.

BTR

FTG

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That walsall match was unbelievable....we went behind to a hatrick in the first 20 mins and the west midlands police spent the next 70mins winding us up...

It ended up with the police sending dogs and horses onto the terraces and chasing us all out of the ground...and there was no trouble from us...we were gutted to be out of the playoffs, but not violent.

An old lady next to me had her leg bitten really badly by a dog, i went to help her and was chased away by the police.

There were a number of off duty policemen on my coach from Avon and Somerset and they were so angry at what they had seen...they made all sorts of complaints and they were just further wound up by the local wlasall police...

It was an abosolute disgrace....and they wondered why 2 off their vans were over turned!

Over 100 fans, mostly City, were arrested during those 2 games at Walsall.

You have to wonder how many of those got criminal records and bans because of the extreme actions of the West Midlands police.

Great first game, nightmare second, never forgiven Kelly. :D

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Got to say that few footballers would grace a hard nuts rugby line-up especially days of old before video's etc.

For City Gow without doubt.

I remember reading something along these lines years ago and a (at the time) Coventry City central defence partnership won hands down, Brian Kilkline (sp) and Gary Gillespie.

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'Modern day and in to the Premeirship; it has to be Alan Shearer for me. Not because he gives it out although you watch him closely he frequently does. For me, it's the way defenders constantly tackle him hard and he just gets up and gets on with it.

Plus there is obviously the story when he did get angry and decked a gobby team mate on tour (who was it!!??).' (Neo quote)

It was the bookies friend Keith Gillespie... Aledgedly of course

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Whilst I'd go for St Gerald Of Gow as Il Capo di Capo Tutti, I'd dispute City Rocker's recollection of the Bowles incident. Whilst Stan himself had much to say of the City fans (sic) & the St John's Ambulance service after the incident (great sports biography BTW) he reports the tackle much as I remember it. I was in the Open End not far from the gap between it & the Williams. Stan the Man, on a very greasy surface, attempted to control the ball on the touchline & in a most innocuous challenge went over.  It was my first experience of what I had long held to be my father's footballing myth, in that, when the footballer's leg broke it sounded like a shotgun had been fired in the ground. One hell of a crack but without hint of the malice that soured Stuart Houston's injury.

Whilst Gow was the enforcer's enforcer he wasn't a dirty player in the Billy Bremner mould. More of a Dave MacKay, committed, hard, fair & without knowledge of how to back out.

BTR

FTG

I agree.I was sat on the wall in the old open end that day,probably very close to you,and Bowles actually went over on his leg as he tried to turn quickly,there was no contact with another player.I remember being amazed you could brake your leg so easily.

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Gerry Gow was not a hard man, he had an edge to him but he was not a hard man at all.  He mistimed a lot of tackles which today he wouldn't get away with and he only went in hard when he wouldn't get hurt. 

If you want a hard man - try Trevor Tainton who would go in for every ball as if his life depended on it.

Gow ? Nah.

Well, I guess its all about opinions and how good your memory is.

I will always remember Gow for his tough tackling and "never say die" attitude.Trevour Tainton never struck me as a hard player - but as I said its all about opinions.

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