Liverpool has employed its fair share of tough, uncompromising footballers over the years – but who have you voted as our most fearless and ferocious player of all time? Below are the top 10 LFC hard men as voted by you. Link
10. Ron Yeats Six foot two and strong as an ox, Rowdy Yeats was a man mountain of a player, the 'Colossus' of Shankly's first great Liverpool team and as commanding a centre-back as you'd wish to see. The big man from the Granite City was as solid as a rock and not many opposing centre-forwards deemed it wise to mess with him. Those who did were more often than not left to rue their mistake, as Arsenal's Joe Baker found out to his cost after riling Yeats in a fifth round FA Cup tie at Highbury in 1964.
9. Jimmy Case Whenever it 'kicked-off' during a Liverpool game in the mid-to-late Seventies you could bet your life savings that Jimmy Case would be right in the thick of the action. Never one to shirk a battle, Jimmy could always be relied upon to be at the forefront when tempers flared. A powerful right-sided midfielder, this apprentice electrician was, pardon the pun, a highly respected hard case, who could mix it with the roughest and toughest football villains of the time.
8. Jan Molby Probably the most elegant player in this list of Anfield tough guys - but he was not to be messed with. The 'Great Dane' was known for his subtlety in the midfield - however his imposing stature would be enough to frighten off the hardest of opponents. Molby also spent six weeks behind bars after he was convicted of a driving offence.
7. Bruce Grobbelaar Brucie is the only goalkeeper to make the top 10 - but it is easy to see why he has been selected. The Zimbabwe international was not afraid to air his opinions - he once famously came to blows with teammate Steve McManaman during a Merseyside derby. Liverpool signed Grobbelaar from Vancouver Whitecaps and prior to that the shot stopper served for two years in the Rhodesian National Guard during a time of conflict.
6. Paul Ince The self-proclaimed 'Guv'nor', Incey arrived at Anfield in the summer of 1997 with a tough guy reputation that had been forged during his time with West Ham, Man Utd and Inter Milan. Results-wise, his time with the Reds may not have gone as well as expected but there's no doubt his presence added some much-needed steel to the midfield of Roy Evans' team. A cousin of boxer Nigel Benn, the former Reds skipper was a fierce competitor loath to back down from a confrontation.
5. Steve McMahon It takes something special for an ex-Everton player to win over the Anfield faithful but Macca quickly set about doing just that thanks in no small part to his whole-hearted challenges and ferocious tackling. Terrier-like in his harassment of opponents and tigerish in the tackle, McMahon's combative aura helped fill the void left by Souness in the mid-Eighties, while his bone-shuddering midfield clashes with Peter Reid have since passed into Mersey derby folklore.
4. Dietmaar Hamaan Didi Hamann, or 'Kaiser' as he was affectionately known, may not have applied the vocal approach of some other hard men on this list, but he let his actions do the talking for him. Hamann dished out his fair share of tough tackles but he could also take a challenge without complaining to the referee. The German international was once sent off against the Reds whilst playing for Newcastle for two bookable offences. His ability to protect the defence allowed Liverpool to attack with force and his introduction at half-time was the catalyst for our famous comeback against AC Milan in 2005.
3. Neil Ruddock 'Razor' certainly knew how to ruffle a few feathers - just ask Eric Cantona, who he famously tried to wind up by folding his collar. He may not have had the grace and poise of other Liverpool defenders but Ruddock let opposition players know he was there with his full blooded approach to tackling. He once broke the cheekbone of Peter Beardsley, then of Newcastle, in a testimonial for Ronnie Whelan. Ruddock had a temper, which would sometimes boil over as Robbie Fowler would testify. The Toxteth Terror felt the full force of a Razor Ruddock punch after being accused of cutting up the defender's designer shoes.
2. Tommy Smith 'The Anfield Iron' has long been regarded as one of the toughest men to ever grace a football pitch - but this often distracts from the fact that he was also a fantastic player with great ability. Smith took every game seriously whether is was the European Cup final or a five-a-side kickabout at Melwood - he would never consider shirking a challenge. Despite his reputation throughout the football world for being a fearsome competitor, Smithy was only sent off once during his career - and that was for dissent towards a referee.
1. Graeme Souness Souey was affectionately known as 'Charlie' by his teammates due to his penchant for the odd glass of champagne - but that did not distract the midfield maestro from being a class act with a desire to win at all costs. The former Scottish international had plenty of skill to match his steely determination and he revelled in being taunted and booed by opposition fans - it seemed to bring out the best in him. He was extremely loyal to his teammates and was not afraid of dishing out some retribution if they suffered unfair attention from opposing players. This trait was best illustrated during the European Cup semi-final against Dinamo Bucharest in 1984.