Lee Sharpe said something interesting once, about a game in which he was being roughed up when he was young. So Robson smashed the fella, and punched him in the stomach as he lay on the floor. They stayed away from Sharpe after that and let him play.ashleyfuckingyoung wrote:There's a difference between being hard and being dirty. I don't mind a bit of a dust up, but the sort of studs high, chicken shit tackle that can break legs and end careers has no place in the game. These are grown men who have been coached to be pussies.
I remember reading about a game between United and Liverpool in the 90s. Neil Ruddock was talking about how the first time he played against Cantona he tried to rough him up a bit and to his surprise, Eric gave some back. They were at it hammer and tong for 90 minutes. In the players lounge after the game, Eric just walked up to Ruddock, put a beer in his hand, nodded, and walked away. Exactly as it should be.
It has to be done, it's a part of the game, it's great.