Football's going soft - that's the common complaint from fans across the nation. With referees clamping down on tough tackling, shoulder barges often treated as body-checks, and penalties given at the drop of a hat, it looks as though the era of the hard man could be well and truly over. Every fan loves a hard man at their club, somebody who will refuse to let the opposition bully their way to victory, bouncing up from every foul and dishing out twice as much in return. If there's one region in which this sentiment is particularly felt, it's the North East. Every top team in the region has a storied history of hard men, figures who will live on in the fans' memories as a player not to be messed with. Sunderland are no exception to this rule, and boast a history of players who were capable of striking fear into the hearts of opponents throughout the football league. As the hard man is gradually phased out of football, let's look back at ten of Sunderland's best. Click "next" below to kick off the slideshow with a current player...
