Down the years. Who was your favourite reds 'hard' man and scared the opposition sh*tless? Im not really old enough to remember the old school ones like Normanton or Harry Hough. I know Hourihane played the gamesmanship tactics a few times but I couldnt really imagine him taking a player on in a ring.
Carl Dickinson - hard as nails, I'll always remember him smashing some poor winger into touch, standing over what remained of him and shouting "get up you F****in' m*ong!"
For me, in descending order:- 1 Pat Howard. 2 Alan Little. 3 Mick McCarthy. 4 Eric Winstanley. 5 Gwyn Thomas. 6 Graham Pugh. 7 Darren Sheridan. 8 Neil Redfearn. 9 Carl Dickinsen. 10 Kenny Burns. 11 Gerry Taggart. 12 Steve Cooper.
Werling...I remember his bullet free kick against Scunthorpe! It hit their centre half in the head, he did 3 pirouettes and collapsed in the penalty area!!! Otherwise he was garbage though.
I'll say Pat Howard. But uncompromising would be a better description. But I'm not jumping on the Skinner Normanton bandwagon. I think Barnsley fans have always appreciated skilful players, and good football, over the so called "hard men". I wouldn't want to watch a team full of thugs...
Don't forget graham pugh needs adding to any list if it was above grass level he kicked or hacked it ......Alan little another one ..the mirror ran a spread on how to keep him quiet. ..lol they had him tied to a chair in the middle of the pitch lol
Funnily enough though I don't recall Hunter being particularly "hard". We saw him as a very good footballing defender coming to the end of his playing career. For me outrageous skill beats GBH every time!
On about number 7.. i think Josh Scowen couldve had it in him to be a proper little animal, but he had a maturity on the pitch which made him a 'silent warrior'. Off the pitch though, not so much. Tantrums over shirt numbers and getting his dad involved. Still loved him though
Before my time, but 'Farmer' Joe Wilson, who played at the end of the way years and into 1946-47 season. Often confused with Skinner Normanton by Michael Parkinson. It was 'Farmer' Joe who settled the Newcastle United FA Cup tie at Oakwell with the penalty which hit the cross bar, flattened the goalie unconscious and rebounded into the net.