Hard Men or Hatchet Men? The toughest LUFC XI in history

As last week’s article discussed, the club has lost an element of its status as one of the biggest and most iconic outfits in England. There is, however, an unsavoury aspect of our reputation that seems to have become resurgent in recent seasons: the belief that Elland Road is filled with ‘vile animals’ and that the players who represent us are no better. Here at @LUFC_Calypso we took to twitter to discover your suggestions for the biggest thugs and hardest hitters ever to pull on the white shirt. As @JonL01 correctly points out, there is a distinction between tough tacklers and vicious enforcers however, so with your help we’ve compiled the toughest LUFC XI in an attempt to determine just how dirty we are!

Goalkeeper – Paddy Kenny

The trickiest position in the line-up to fill, our current keeper is the unlucky stopper that gets the nod. Off-field controversies including failed drugs tests, twitter rants and frequent tunnel bust-ups during his time at Sheffield United have left him with a tarnished reputation among football fans. We love him, others love to hate him.

Right Back – Danny Mills

Hot-headed and overly-aggressive at times, Mills’ demeanour as a MOTD pundit is in stark contrast to his temperament on the pitch. He was never afraid to stick his boot over the ball and his combative approach to ‘discussions’ with opposing players secures his position as one of LUFC’s dirtiest alumni.

Centre Back – Norman ‘Bite yer legs’ Hunter

Hunter is a legend of the club and rightly so. He was an ever-present fixture during the glory years under Don Revie, but his reputation as a belligerent and hard-hitting tackler precedes him and with good reason, a trait perfectly exemplified by his knock-out tackle (literally) against Everton in 1968.

Centre Back – Jonathan Woodgate

The thuggery of former Galactico Woodgate remains an ever-present blot on the Leeds United copybook. Though he was a skilful and composed defender, a brutal off-the-field incident involving Lee Bowyer resulting in his conviction for affray has permanently tainted his standing among the fans.

Left Back – Wilf ‘The Ironman’ Copping

Copping, described as ‘the original hard man of football’, is an unsung hero from his time at the club before the Second World War. A bruising, uncompromising defender, he was renowned for his bone-shaking challenges and resilience in the toughest of matches.

Defensive Midfield – Billy Bremner

Our very own Captain Marvel, Bremner is famed for his desire, his commitment and his love for a crunching tackle, but our research sparked a debate as to whether Bremner was firm but fair or dirty and underhand in his tactics. His will to win sometimes boiled over, but his unrivalled talent and and violent inspired captaincy remains the defining element of his legacy at Leeds.

Central Midfield – Lee Bowyer

Bowyer is the most decorated player in Premier League history. Unfortunately for him, this accolade refers to cards not trophies. With 99 PL yellow cards to his name, Bowyer may have escaped conviction for his role in the Woodgate assault, but his infamy as the most malicious player ever to wear the white of Leeds is rivalled only by his midfield partner in this XI...

Central Midfield – Vinnie Jones

Vinnie’s inclusion in this line-up needs no explanation. A thug growing up, a thug on the pitch and a thug in the movies, Jones took pleasure in throwing himself into career threatening challenges. His most violent outbursts took place in Wimbledon colours, but nonetheless his performances were more befitting of a boxing ring than a football pitch.

Attacking Midfield – El Hadji Diouf

Diouf has become somewhat of a pantomime villain since he joined Leeds, but for the most part the fans have taken him under their wing and his behaviour has improved significantly as a result. Spitting in player’s faces and violent outbursts (even against those who have just had their leg broken) live long in the memory however and there is a fear that this ‘sewer rat’ will never change.

Striker – Ian Baird

@WACCOE’s comment during our conversations for this article on twitter sums up the outlook of this cult figure perfectly... ‘Bairdy’s gonna get ya’. Unfortunately, Bairdy’s time at Leeds was cut short by the arrival of Lee Chapman, but fans fondly remember him for his important goals... and ‘over-zealous’ approach to tackling.

Striker – Kenny Burns

Deployed as both a striker and a defender throughout his career, we felt we needed to make room for Burns in our toughest line-up largely thanks to an incriminating YouTube video. A different era though it may have been, a sly head-butt while the ref’s back is turned would make even the most vicious hatchet man take note. It seems Michael Brown did his homework before joining us.

There were many other credible candidates that could have made the line-up: Batty, Smith, Jordan, Hankin and Bobby Collins to name but a few. Does our history of hard hitters warrant our continued reputation as a violent and aggressive club? Perhaps the fact that many named here were fan favourites suggest that maybe it does! As always, we welcome your opinions and comments – tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso!