if it all kicked off when you were playing footie who would you want on your side
from ex pools players
me i'd have Roy Hogan mental he was

Paul Baker.

Mick Tait right hard nut and of course Billy Aire.

If it wasn't ex, Ben Clark.

Paul Haigh - I win...

come to think of it you dont get much toe to toe in matches
nowadays
lots of that pushing an shoving stuff
but no good old haymakers that Roy let fly

Richie Barker

or maybe Craig Midgely not sure

Current players, has to be Monkhouse! Very recent current, Boland.
Bakes works at the College, cracking bloke.
Steve Howie does too....

Martin Hodge! Mick Smith! Legends! How we could do with some hard bounders like them right now

I think last player in that mould
would be Tinks
a right niggly git on his day

Dean Emerson a rock hard ginge from the rough end of Manchester.

John Gallacher- nails.

A 90's version of Bert Trautmann.

was he a German goalkeeper who played with a broken neck?

John Gill. No-one even thought about it when Gilly was about.

Pools hard men?

George Smith
Bob Newton
Billy Ayre
Wayne Goldthorpe
Brian Honour
Paul Baker
Roy Hogan
Mick Tait
Gordon Watson
Michael Barron
Mark Tinkler

Of the current team.........the legend that is:

Ben Clark.

That is it.

Tinks is a good call. So is Gilly but don't forget his fellow henchman.

I thought Paul Haigh was a bit of a hard man too. I seem to remember in an earlier edition of Monkey Business someone said he was the only player he has ever seen that launched into a slide tackle when he was the one in possession of the ball.

If we put them all into a ring, or we had some form of ex poolies caged fighting event, but somehow miraculously they were all of the same age when they played for Pools (can this be arranged mods?), then my money would be on Paul Haigh. He'd knock Micky Barron out in one punch (he'd be the first to go). Brian Honour would keep his head down, scurry around like a little terrier never staying still, bite people's legs and probably make it through to the second period. Roy Hogan would just kick people's knees in frontside on. Paul Baker would stand up like a man all the way through until right at the very end him and Paul Haigh would battle it out for the crown - with Haigh winning and giving us a toothless arms raised victory salute. We could chuck Borthwick in just for bait to get them going at the start...

At which point John Sheridan would come sliding in with the latest tackle ever and break both his legs.

Excellent - a twist in the ending making it even more entertaining, albeit a leg twist. Not sure I've ever seen one slide tackle breaking two legs. That would be some feat...

But as he slides in the referee looking the other way
Billy Ayre stamps on him
turns to the crowd in the rink end
smiles and winks
pure class