10 Hardest Men That Ever Played For Newcastle United
As a breed of footballer the hardman is one that is facing extinction from the modern game. Theres no denying that the robust gladiators who wouldn't have a seconds hesitation to rake a boot down your achilles or deliver a body check out of the referees eyeline that leaves you gasping for air are becoming an increasingly rare commodity.
Newcastle have housed their fair share of violent bruisers down the years including intimidating defenders, snarling midfielders and powerhouse strikers who've all pulled on a black and white shirt with the objective to senselessly clobber the opposition to a snivelling pulp and pinch the ball from them like a schoolyard bully.
We miss these remorseless tyrants of the football field for their unwavering passion and commitment to Newcastle United and in commemoration have listed the the top 10 hardmen to have played for the club.
Note: Only one of the above players made it into this feature. No prizes for guessing which one...
10. Andy Carroll
A skyscraper with a ponytail would be the best way to describe Carroll. The 6ft 3in bulldozer of a centre forward is a sinister specimen and regularly tormented any defender that thought they could subdue him, as Wolves discovered to their peril during a 1-1 draw in 2010. For 60 minutes he absorbed blow after blow from the home rearguard as they sought to neutralise the Geordie number nine's influence in the penalty area. It didn't work as Carroll shrugged off the rough treatment to head in Newcastle's equaliser that day and prove himself tougher than his gangly frame suggested.
He would endure similar punishment in most of the matches he played during the first half of the season before a £35 million switch to Liverpool in January 2011. Never once did he allow to affect his game and it was often his opponents who would leave the field wincing in agony after a 90 minute duel with the the Gateshead-born behemoth.