4) Jimmy Case
Case was one of the few top flight midfielders of the age who gave the ferocious Leeds midfielders a genuine run for their money in terms of fight and aggression. Case was also famed for having one of the most powerful shots in the game. Was charged with assault in 1980, and was offloaded soon after.
3) Gerry Bryne
Probably the bravest and most dedicated tackler in Liverpool history. Byrne’s most famous for breaking his collarbone in the 1965 FA Cup final, but gobsmackingly, he refused to be subbed!
2) Tommy Smith
Dubbed ‘The Anfield Iron,’ Smith’s consistently bone-crunching tackles didn’t earn him a single red-card throughout his 16 year career, although he was once dismissed for swearing at the ref. “Tommy Smith wasn’t born, he was quarried,” said Bill Shankly.
1) Graeme Souness
The original midfield general. At his peak, Souness was as good as any midfielder in Europe, and twice as formidable a battler. Relentless in the tackle, and unnervingly cool in any tense situation – Souness is undeniably the hardest footballer Liverpool have ever deployed.
