Top 10 Horror Tackles (with video)

Ollie Irish

31st, August 2006

36 Comments

10 Dan Smith on Abou Diaby
Smith broke Diaby’s ankle with this awful two-footed lunge.

Top 10 Horror Tackles (with video) continued…

9 Carlo Nash on Dave Kitson
Preston’s keeper does his best Harald Schumacher impression.

8 Michael Brown on Sean Davis
Brown likes his two-footed challenges, doesn’t he?

7 Marco Materazzi on everyone
The boy’s a wild animal!

6 Michael Essien on Didi Hamann
Essien goes over the top. Ouch.

5 Boris Johnson on Maurizio Gaudino
A timeless classic.

4 Michael Brown on Ryan Giggs
Could have ended Giggs’ career. Shocking.

3 Roy Keane on Alfie Haaland
‘Take that, you c**t!’ Lovely chap, Roy. This wasn’t too clever either.

2 Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston
The daddy of horror tackles.

1 Ben Thatcher on Pedro Mendes
As that loon Highlander might have said, there can be only one No.1. This is it…

Posted in Top 10s & lists

Share this article: Email

36 Comments

  1. eeore says:
    September 1, 2006 at 2:37 am

    Thanks:) I enjoyed those…

  2. Rodge says:
    September 1, 2006 at 11:07 am

    What about this one. The guy will never be able to play again.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO3stdhXC5M

  3. Ollie, Pies. Ed says:
    September 1, 2006 at 11:17 am

    Thanks Rodge – we posted that on Wednesday. It is indeed a sickening tackle, but I find it very hard to watch and so didn’t put it in the Top 10 (although I agree, it is a shocker!)

  4. Jesus says:
    September 1, 2006 at 3:06 pm

    Even I can’t forgive that last one.

  5. Soccer is for faggies:) says:
    September 1, 2006 at 7:59 pm

    Wow .. nice shit but sucha faggy game

  6. Jeremy Thornton says:
    September 1, 2006 at 8:12 pm

    Thatcher is a nutcase. That was not a tackle. It was a premeditated attack. It’s like the bastard bully who uses football to take out his anger on you. Imagine if the tables had been turned and an African player had thrown that kind of an elbow on a white player. It’d be criminal charges the same day and a million dollar civil suit by the victim. Thatcher’s getting away with murder by just having a simple suspension instead of doing some serious jail time for assault and battery.

  7. Mr Mr says:
    September 1, 2006 at 10:10 pm

    IF those are horror tackles, check out some of these: It makes all of the above look like child’s play
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FBECwYHbk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0LXmIMPiHs
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW8ojGxu1-0
    And to proove hockey players are the toughest athletes read below
    Ryan Smyth lost three teeth in a playoff game, got stitched up in the locker room and was back on the ice for his next shift.
    EDMONTON (CP) – A day after his team beat the San Jose Sharks in triple-overtime thriller, Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Smyth was stuck in a dentist’s chair.
    Smyth missed the Oilers’ optional skate Thursday after taking a puck to the mouth early in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Sharks. In true Smyth form, the left-winger returned to the game and assisted on linemate Shawn Horcoff’s game winner in the sixth period.

  8. Rob says:
    September 1, 2006 at 11:44 pm

    Who cares who is the toughest you dumb hoser. Soccer is still the most beautiful game. You fucking baseball, hockey watching faggots

  9. Ollie, Pies Ed. says:
    September 2, 2006 at 12:01 am

    Three teeth Mr Mr? So what! – Pedro Mendes was knocked unconscious and had to go to hospital for Chrissakes

  10. Ali says:
    September 2, 2006 at 8:13 pm

    Mr Mr…
    1. Teeth are regularly knocked out in football, or soccer as i guess u call it, and the players dnt go for stitches in the lockeroom… they wipe the blood off n carry on!
    2. Broken noses happen regularly in football n the players always just carry on!
    3. Gilberto Silva played 5 games about 2 yrs ago, with a broken back!
    4. A goalkeeper once broke his neck and carried on playin!
    I could go on with stories like this all nite… So a few knocked out teeth is nuttin!

  11. Mitch says:
    September 3, 2006 at 5:48 am

    This shouldn’t turn into a ‘what sports hosts the toughest players’ debate. I’ve seen some ugly shit in football. But most of it is cheap shit. If you want to debate, do it right. Debate on what sport has the best fight, or the dirtiest shot/player. But that is too vague.

  12. Mr. Mr. says:
    September 3, 2006 at 5:57 am

    If mendes was a hockey player he would have woken up and kept playing. I am not saying that I don’t like soccer, I am just saying that hockey is generally a tougher sport period. Filled with tougher people and with dirtier tactics.
    Canada won the 72 summit series with russia by purposely breaking their best players leg with a stick. If you want to talk tough, the frozen puck is hitting these guys at 100 MPH.
    It just doesn’t compare.

  13. Mitch says:
    September 3, 2006 at 6:24 am

    Mr. Mr.,
    I agree with you completely. It may sound like b.s., but I’ve had a stick broken over the back of my leg on a break away and scored. I’m not saying hockey players aren’t tough, I’ve been a defenseman my whole life, and I’ve had to walk off some terrible stuff. My point was just that debating something like at is pretty vague, that’s all. But now that I’m into this debate thing, I’m siding with hockey. And if any of you think you have a story about “walking it off” while playing football/soccer, then I’ll give you one that’ll cring you up and make you cry.

  14. mr jones says:
    September 3, 2006 at 8:36 am

    I’ve had some pretty nasty Table-tennis tackles that would put all these fuckers to shame

  15. Fitz says:
    September 3, 2006 at 12:07 pm

    How could you have left out De Rossi’s challenge against the american player at World cup 2006?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlGHw4S7IMc
    Nasty

  16. grey says:
    September 3, 2006 at 2:03 pm

    Soccer’s still a fag sport

  17. Diggler says:
    September 3, 2006 at 10:25 pm

    Yeah, hockey’s real tough with all those pads and helmets, right??
    If hockey was one of our national sports we’d play it with half the body/head protection. You disagree? So what’s the british alternative to your head to toe padded up American “Football”? It’s called Rugby and guess what? It’s played with zero protection other than maybe a gum shield. You’ll struggle to find a Rugby player without a broken nose or fukked up teeth or ears.
    And as for those hockey “challenges” being worse than the Thatcher elbow on Mendes? Please. Thatcher ran 30 yards at full sprint and slammed his forearm into the side of an unknowing players skull who subsequently had a seizure on the pitch!
    The debate of “whose sports are tougher” will always exist between the us and uk but just because hockey is so boring that they have to allow boxing(in pads and hemets) just to liven it up doesn’t make it “tough”.
    The day you yanks play your sports without protection is the day you can start calling ours “fag sports”.

  18. Tim says:
    September 3, 2006 at 10:52 pm

    Diggler well said I am an american and I wish more people over here had your same views on soccer and how good of shape you have to be in to play it and how many hits us soccer players actually take. I wish more people over here had your view on soccer.

  19. mr mr says:
    September 3, 2006 at 11:27 pm

    Diggler:
    a) Did you watch the challenges, did you see the guy getting his neck broken?
    b) I watch hockey and soccer, neither is boring. Hockey is tougher
    c) Most of those hockey hits were legal in the sport. It is part of the game
    d) Hockey is not a us sport. it is a canadian sport. I suppose you Scots over in the UK can’t get that though can you.
    And as for those hockey “challenges” being worse than the Thatcher elbow on Mendes? Please. Thatcher ran 30 yards at full sprint and slammed his forearm into the side of an unknowing players skull who subsequently had a seizure on the pitch!
    The debate of “whose sports are tougher” will always exist between the us and uk but just because hockey is so boring that they have to allow boxing(in pads and hemets) just to liven it up doesn’t make it “tough”.

  20. adam says:
    September 4, 2006 at 11:57 am

    congratulations hockey players, you are definitely tougher than soccer players(come on soccer fans, you know that’s true, that’s just how the game is designed)
    you’re hideous – you got scars all over your face with bunch of teeth missing (but it’s cool ’cause you’re tough!)
    you don’t make nearly as much money as other athletes (holy shit even golfers and tennis players make more money than you, but it’s cool ’cause you’re so much tougher than them!)
    you don’t get any hot girls, probably because you’re hideous and don’t make that much money (at least you’re tough as hell!)
    other than the USA, your sport is most popular in countries like Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden(you should be proud of yourself, these are all really really cool countries)
    and to top it all off, even a lot of American hate your sport (go ahead, try and tell me it’s more popular than football, basketball or baseball while keeping a straight face). that lockdown was awesome, many americans loved it, and are hoping it’ll happen again soon, but this time for good.
    i didn’t mean to ramble on like this, sorry about that. my point was, yes, you’re tough, good job, you totally got me there. keep up the good work, maybe someday you’ll be successful like soccer players (jk. not gonna happen so stop trying already you douchebags)

  21. Nic says:
    September 4, 2006 at 5:01 pm

    Mr.Mr., why the hell are you bringing up the Scots, nobody else had. I really hope you’re not an American or Canadian making the rest of your countrymen sound ignorant by not knowing the geography outside of your own country. As far as i can see this is everybody arguing between ‘american’ sports and ‘british’ ones, which i agree with mitch, is an intirely pointless discussion in the first place. If you want a tough sport, how about UFC, but thats not really the point is it?

  22. CrazyFinger says:
    September 4, 2006 at 10:37 pm

    Just another terrible foul from Joey Didulica on Axel Lawaree. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SmGgqlx2-8
    A picture from the foul http://www.overclockers.at/attachment.php?s=2726f8ac788d57ed66be5fa4b287fa61&attachmentid=80580
    And one from Lawaree after the match celebrating the championshiptitle in Austria: http://www.overclockers.at/attachment.php?s=2726f8ac788d57ed66be5fa4b287fa61&attachmentid=80580

  23. CrazyFinger says:
    September 4, 2006 at 10:38 pm

    Sorry the second link should be http://www.overclockers.at/attachment.php?s=2726f8ac788d57ed66be5fa4b287fa61&attachmentid=80584

  24. tom says:
    September 5, 2006 at 1:30 am

    That fucken son of a italian piece of shit scumbag bitch materazzi should be hung by his balls and left to die, CUNT!

  25. guy says:
    September 5, 2006 at 4:07 am

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58aTwh7Po8M
    what say you

  26. Tom says:
    September 5, 2006 at 4:34 am

    The biggest joke is that out of the 8 fouls shown (ignoring the Materazzi compilation and Boris Johnson)only 2 were shown the red card.
    Dermot Gallagher was involved in 2 and failed to send the player off both times, yet the FA/FIFA persist with the most ridiculous rule that if a ref awards a yellow card for an offence nothing can be done afterwards.
    In the Thatcher case they made an exception, but why not do that for the Michael Brown fould on Giggs, and every other foul that the incompetent refs fail to punish.
    The rule is clearly in order to prevent refs from being undermined, but at the moment the the FA and FIFA are bother undermined.

  27. TJ says:
    September 5, 2006 at 1:18 pm

    Hockey is a woman’s game compared to the National Sport of Ireland that is Hurling! Put any of those Hockey players on a hurling pitch and they would brown themselves.

  28. stu says:
    September 6, 2006 at 12:29 pm

    Lol at hockey being tough. Just because they fight all the time, take a look at rugby. Controlled aggression, I’d like to see a hockey player try playing at prop!!!!! People have lost knackers playing rugby, there was a guy last season in the English premiership who had two front teeth knocked clean out, carried on and the physio found them in the grass, he had them slammed back in after the game. You see in rugby when you get the ball you have 15 100kg plus guys trying to beat the hell out of you, imagine that!

  29. stevie says:
    September 12, 2006 at 9:58 pm

    Set of soft cunts.

  30. Jack says:
    September 25, 2006 at 11:02 am

    read this…
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Shelford

  31. Matt says:
    December 8, 2006 at 2:21 am

    oh my god – that wikipedia piece is abysmal (from above) … read it . Does anyone remember nathan ellington breaking his leg on a challenge in the box when he played for wigan but then taking (and scoring) the penalty that followed? He was subbed off like 10 minutes later when the pain probably didnt die down, tough stuff though.

  32. dede says:
    March 6, 2007 at 5:27 pm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQEEAKcEoEA
    ive only seen this video once in this whole debate
    shame

  33. oliver says:
    March 30, 2007 at 4:53 pm

    I think Bosvelt’s foul on Irwin in the Champion’s League back in 1997 deserves a mention.

  34. birue jehfisguw says:
    May 13, 2007 at 12:34 am

    euromi mlrev pczgjl kxajv mfgt xyzb lbwueitx

  35. esgqwvjy pehqasu says:
    May 13, 2007 at 12:34 am

    mabcjz nvluasm usvyb wtse osxjctkyi jbulnk dagzf njmcoyq lbjgwz

  36. ziwa says:
    August 5, 2007 at 8:30 am

    It’s really a pity that only one of the ten clips is still available…