safeway60 Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Something else which is missing to a great extent in the modern game is the absence of nasty villains...The game is now so sanitised with the exception of one or two, villains are no longer with us...You can tell the animosity is gone. After the final whistle goes players quite often hang around on the pitch having a good chinwag about goodness knows what...new contracts....money...who knows? Back in the day the players were ushered off the pitch so they couldn't do further damage to one another....We all love to hate a villain....what would Punch and Judy and pantomimes be without them to point the finger at and shout and bawl at them...The only one I can think of right now is Gareth Hock although a talented player has some episodes when he seems to completely lose it and does something daft. Guess what? That's why we love watching him hoping he'll have one of his epsiodes...Remember the battles Les Boyd and Adrian Shelford used to have...There was real dislike of one another there. Going back even further the mighty Wire had a real villain going by the name of Bill McFarlane who was real dirty both on and off the pitch...His off the pitch villainy usually involved bus conductors...Jack Arkright Jr was another one and I can't remember a match in which he didn't have a fight with varying degrees of violence...Folk hero Mike Nicholas also did some dumb things off the pitch which is well documented at Warrington Magistrates Court. Even the greatest of all time AJ Murphy had a nasty side to him...He never took a backward step and even he's now an old man you wouldn't want to pick a fight with him. Without doubt the nastiest piece of work I ever saw was Doug Greenall of St Helens...I once saw him push our own villain Bill McFarlane into the wall at Knowsley Road when McFarlane was already static and in touch...I got the impression even his own team mates didn't like him very much....So come on you villains....where are you ?...we want you back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latchford Locks Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Rugby League was the 20th century Gladiators Arena for the working man you expected and more often than not got blood and snot everywhere ! Now in the 21st century Rugby League is becoming the "tick and pass" game we played at school during our dinner hour. Unfortunately those days will never return; as the hand wringing pacifists that try to run our country in cojunction with nameless H&S enforcers would never allow young followers of sport to see such sights at a match; and only the fake injury stricken antics of overpaid wendyball players is acceptable viewing for todays fans. More is the pity for todays young generation, as they will miss a lot of great memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safeway60 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 I've begun thinking the unthinkable....Would Gareth Hock be a worthwhile signing for the Wire ? He's only on loan at Widnes and would be a ready made replacement for Adrian Morley if, as is likely, this is to be Mozzer's last season. Yes, I know he is a horrible oik but he'd get the job done...If he can be coached out of his bad habits he would be a fine signing...Yes, I know the real reason Wigan got shut and perhaps that's the reason Tony Smith won't make a move for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latchford Locks Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 If he signed for Wire it would be another "Les Boyd Gamble" that one paid off good style ,so maybe Hock would fit the bill ? Truth is we need a enforcer on the pitch and he fits that bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peridot1 Posted April 5, 2013 Report Share Posted April 5, 2013 Better off without him... Peridot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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