Mike Egerton/EMPICS SportIn the early years of the Premier League, having a hardman in your team was seen as a necessity. From Roy Keane to Stuart Pearce, the division was littered with players who prided themselves on their tough tackling and no nonsense approach. However, today such characters are a rarity. Arsenal themselves have boasted several hardmen over the years. The start of Arsene Wengers reign was perhaps the dying embers of that type of player, with Tony Adams and co representing a throwback to the George Graham era. Since then, it would be fair to say that the modern game has taken a shift. Out went the bruising tacklers and in came the tiki taka passers. It means we have witnessed less fighting and bone-crunching challenges, and more handbags and diving. A sight that must certainly infuriate Vinnie Jones and the rest of Wimbledons Crazy Gang. Of course, there is still the odd exception with various players valiantly flying the flag for hardman all over the world. Cardiffs Gary Medel prides himself on his fearsome reputation and with 29 yellow cards in 78 games for Spanish side Sevilla, it is hard to argue otherwise. This look at Arsenals hardest ever players sees a mixture of old and new, with some of the entries dating back to the 1930s - a time when refereeing may have been a tad more lenient. There are though some selections from more recent years, those players who refused to give up their hardman ways as football began to change.