Who is the toughest "HARDEST" man in wigan....?

.

me dad!

do you mean a wiganer? or anyone passing through??

A born and bred wiganer billy...an its not me...lol?

Solido Azzarocco!

They've all gone now, we just have shithouses, not real "hardmen".

couldnt agree more joe, couldnt agree more.it takes 3/4 shit heads to get ya down, then all wigan seems to jump in with the boot.yeah hard men, if ya still get the best of em, theres a cop knocking on your door for assulting em.my grandsons are sure as hell going to get sued by one of em one day.they dont talk, just listen, and bang, right on the point of the jaw...its broken fer sure, and they dont appear to have any more interest. but one day, one of these cockroaches will be along with his shylock lawyer.that apart, they jepardise there boxing licences.

this mon

I've associated with some reet 'crate eggs' in the past, some from around the wigan area, some not.
Jimmy Metcalfe once said, "There's a lot of lad's can handle theirselves who never go out, so you never hear of 'em and don't know who they are". How true that is!

A local 'hardman' is usually someone who obtains that title with a bit of bullying, generally of those who won't fight back.

So, cozzer, who's Ronnie Roberts? Would he put his money on the table and fight one of the travelling gypsies? I know a few who would.

Ronnie is a man who can handle himself, nuf said. I also said in wigan, not travelin gypsies.

Travelling gypsies DO come to Wigan. Men I know, in Wigan, occasionally DO fight 'em, for money. nuf said!

I think there all "crate eggs"

there all big lads until a drugged up nutter comes along with a gun

I've learned tonight that someone I've known over the years, and a well known character, has been attacked and suffered a bad beating. It isn't the first time, but this time it's more serious. I'm told he's been blinded.

It's not clever. But, like they say, what goes around comes around!

ronnie is a good mate of mine now you won,t find him shit houseing he,s a gentle giant looks after his mates and his self and dosent go in for that fighting for money stuff , wins enough in bookies

tonker were dose cozzer mention ronnie

Nail on the head there Tonker with your statement about "crate eggs", a massive void between these and what they call "hardmen".

Once saw a "reet hardcase" in the Bush Hotel many years ago have a do at a lad who lived with his mam and only ventured out on special occasions, this was his mam's birthday, any road up the hardcase was taken to Bolton hospital to have the jigsaw puzzle that was his jaw fixed. I think the Jimmy Metcalfe saying maybe attributed to this incident, there were/are lots of lads like this.

cant meet a nicer lad than ronnie,takes a lot to get wound up but when he does a couple of smacks and job done,he doesn't stamp on people's head like some of the cowards today

knew jimmy as well another top bloke

at 73 cliff shepherd from beech hill would take some beating.

tonker thats sad i hate fighting it doesnt makes things better hope yor mate gets to be alright

Ann, he isn't my mate. However, I don't think he'll get to be alright, considering that he's lost an eye. But, it'll happen again, I have no doubt.

the trouble with being a hard man, people are always trying to knock you of your perch and that day always comes

its not big and its not clever, the sport of bullies and cowards

in full agreement with danni

Is the question really necessary and which kind of people really want to know the answer to this question?

Is it not better to live in a peaceful world where everyone can enjoy an environment that is aggression free?

Me! I like to go to the pub to have a few pints, a good-old chat, a friendly game of snooker or pool, or a game of darts, and to leave in the knowledge that it has been a good night and I can walk home without being threatened.

I can't see the entertainment in someone beating the s... out of someone else.

Well spoken ianp

in full agreement with ianp.

ianp - I fully agree with you and I am sure that most people would agree with you.

when harrisons trailor site was going, quite a few hard men..hard men, passed through there.seen quite a few scraps up were morrisons supemarket is now.i"m talking ince.used to be slag heaps there in those days.money changed hands like nobodys business.today its just gang warfare, there aint any hard men, if there is, he"s hiding in the gang somewhere.

i was maybe the softest- i had to go on the council estate in platt waz to see gran and used to get beat up regularly

That must have been awful, getting beaten up by your own Gran.

i know, she was eventually arrested but in the end i decided not to press charges

SUPERGRAN!

that's her!! although her beating stick is out of view

Paddy Farell, from Scholes. the biggest bully that ever lived. he had the best Liverpool Kiss you have ever seen.

what do you know about jimmy Mcgurran???i fought him in 1962 on the slag heaps.as i undestand it, he"s no longer in the land of the living.
he was going to put his hand down my throat, grab my pecker, and turn me inside out? the fight lasted 2/3 minutes.he never saw my left leave my side pocket and it connected full on his side jaw.i got the princely sum of fifty quid. not too bad in those days.is he alive yet, or are the dead rumours right?
old harrison was a case,always shouting and getting himself worked up. there was two toilets on the site, and male/female used whicheve became vacant.always a queue first thing in the mornings, lots o blushes with the pretty young things going in a toilet just vacated by an old man/woman.ah yes, happy days.ps..i got barred in the bell green pub for dancing???the landady was a bitch. she got her husband a black eye because she would egg him on and on.in those days, i wasnt into hitting mouthy females.

there was a guy lived at the top end of the site, in a council house. as i recall, his name was ellis gardner?i think that was his first name, ellis or elliot??this guy had a reputation, i dont know how true it was. he was a retired miner when i had a few jars with him.nice fella.he had a son who he reared with a rod of iron. his words.

billy,Jimmy been dead a few years now,it was sad really as he had to have both legs amputated,but he still turned out for a pint in the wheelchair

I don't know who the "hardest" man in Wigan is now, but way back in the 1920s my grandad was the undisputed hard man of Wigan. I'm not proud of this, but he was champion porrer. For those who don't know what that is, it's a man who clog-fights. The object of the exercise was that two men would agree to fight wear clogs with irons. They would hold onto each others shoulders then kick their opponents until one dropped to the floor. Once someone hit the ground, the one standing was the winner and that was the end of it.

My grandad participated in this "sport" not because he was a thug, but because he could win money in order to put food on the table for his family. As a miner, his wage was a pittance, and he had four kids to feed. He never lost a match and folk were in fear of him, but he was the gentlest soul with us, his grandchildren, and his hobby was keeping budgies and canaries which he looked after and handled with great tenderness.

Whenever there was a problem in the streets, folk didn't threaten to call the bobbies; they threatened to go get old Tom to sort them out!

He was hard because he had to be, not for glorification, but his kids didn't go without food in those desperate times. It was what he had to do to keep his family from starving, and I'm damned proud of him for that, but not for what he did to achieve it. He died of emphyzema of the lungs in 1955 from working down the pit.

that makes me sad upthetims.
after the scrap, i took him down to that pub just by the traffic lights. it was on your left before you hit the lights. as i recall, the landlady was married to a pole. its closed down new and has been for a few years.
yeah....memories. r-i-p jimmy Mcguran.

my great grandad Buck Molloy was a bare knuckle fighter in the 1920s ,My Grandad once told me that his dad was the cock of scholes. How true this is I dont know though

Jimmy McGurrin, I remember him well, especially his Party Piece, which he'd do at the drop of a hat:

"Piddlin' Pete".

As a matter of fact, whenever we were dartin' around Ince.
I was often asked, was I Bernard McGurrin.
I didn't know who they were on about, 'til I walked in his pub in't Viaducts

piddlin peteyeah that brings back memories, and there was another he sang...something to do with steak un onions??
i recall his voice,kinda one off?gruff...deep?
i saw him about three times after our fracas, always first thing sunday mornings.he would knock on the trailer door, and with that voice of his..they are opun billy, comin for a jar??
so- long jimmy, twas indeed nice to have known you.

moll, in the 2os your grandad would have been in his 30s, not old at all.
and moll i have to say that smile at the back i find offensive,, think moll. you have just told folk he died or emphysema, pit disease and then put a bloody daft smile at the back,, moll thats ignorant to be honest, ignorant to all that have had family suffer that nasty disease and ignorant to the mining industry. not right that smilie mollie

whats so funny molly???ya pressed the wrong key gal.

Surely she's entitled to put a smilie at the end of the post if she wants to. It's her own Grandad she is refering to. I too have fond memories of MY Grandad and often smile when i think of him. He died of cancer but that doesn't mean I have to be permanently sad whenever I mention him.
See

Peter Kane without a doubt

Peter Kane was not from Wigan.

Also, and with all respect to him as a sportsman, he was less than eight stone in weight and just over five foot tall!

He could certainly manage those other eight stone boxers he frequently used to beat.

to know who was the best, ya would need to get em all in a field and decide then.i could list at least twenty travellers who did nothing else for a living but fight bare knuckle. they also trined hard. one traveller by the name of bart gorman(died)had his son swing this five barred gate toward him, and he would hit it with his left and then his right and then his left and so on(old jackets tied on to the rail where he punched.)how many locals would stand a chance with a guy like this???my wifes nephew was the champ amongs the north west tavellers.eric boswell.

Most of the 'Hardest men in Wigan' that have been mentioned would fit into the following :-

Wigan Born
and Wigan Bred
Strong in the arm
and Thick in the 'yed'

I don't know what's to be proud of,all this violence.

trixie - there is nothing at all to be proud of !

As the poem says they are 'Thick in the 'yed'.

trixie - there is nothing at all to be proud of !

As the poem says they are 'Thick in the 'yed'.

its a man thing ladies. yeah, can be puzzling at times, but may i ask why you spend thousands of pounds for crap to smear over your faces???a woman thing i guess.

Sorry i don't spend thousands on beauty products as i am a natural beauty.

Does anybody think that Alan (rocky) Turner is/was an hard man of Wigan

No chance!

apls

If he is the One who played for Swinton, he did till he met Graham West in a game at central Park a few season's ago!

What about a certain family who's surname starts with Liptr..s" from Pemberton, one of them has been barred from every pub in Wigan, have heard if you "fall out" with one then you "fall out" with them all, scary!

"Does anybody think that Alan (rocky) Turner is/was an hard man of Wigan"

he was a coward who picked out his victims,thats why you hardly saw him down wigan when hooker took over

the liptrots were soft as 5hit they only thought they was "hard" when they were all together

Hard men of Wigan Dave Lip**t and brothers!!, you must have had one too many or been at the wacky backy or whatever they call it

My mate Brendun is harder than white dog-muck!

my grandad.
no violence. no showin his 'mettle' in the street.
a hard working honest decent man. provided for his family by his own blood sweat and tears. let no man shit on him or them . taught his family good and well on his own back and kept everyone of us in line , a lot of us
did his last days work and died doing it down the pit, now that was hard mans work .

proud of my grandad and the legacy [ to always fight for you and yours] he left.
being a hard man is not all about violence and whos hittin who ,, its about LIFE,, now thats hard

Spot on Sue. I was reading today about that scumbag appealing his sentence for killing Carly Fairhurst. I call her Father a "hard man" for challenging his grief by raising money for charity in her memory. At the same time him and his wife have to keep the family together.

yes, have been reading that today. he didnt win his appeal did he, and how right that is, he snuffed that young girls life out..
yes broady i agree her dad is a 'hard man'. in fact her mam as well.. never let it go did they, arent they now involved in domestic violence charities, takes some doing that broady, battling grief to fight for others,,

the liptrots would be scattered to the four winds iffen they ever had the misfortune to meet bart gorman(now deceased)it was come one come all for this guy. he once fought three guys at once at yarm fair.he beat em to a standstill. god rest his soul, but the likes of him are hard to come across today, having said that, there are sill a lot that i know , who are bad news. one family has taken up the noble arts. their father was a tearaway, a man not to be messed with, i refer to the fury"s. two of his sons are in the boxing game now. the youngest has a bit to learn concerning ruleshe hits ya on the break, or down below. his trainer will iron things out for him tho.

they have been scattered over the years a few times,they tried to have a do with 2 of hookers men there were 3 of the liptrots and a couple of lads with them and the 2 lads run off and the 3 liptrots got a good hiding

same up pem(cant remember where it was) 1 5hithoused got a good hiding then the night after came up with a few more and again they all got a good hiding

and lets not forget the time they pinched some empty kegs from the back of the fish pub and wanted money before they would give them back not knowing that it was john sharrocks sister..oops..they soon have them back when they got a good hiding

is that yarm near middlesbro billy,if so its a lovely place and all the alehouses have character,not like a lot of these plastic palaces they call boozers nowadays

no matter how many somebody wins,there's always someone out there will come along and the title's gone

and someone who will come along and just shoot you

Billy, I put a link to a video about Bartley Gorman on General for you a couple of days ago

thanks dougie, i will shoot over there later.
your right upt,nice part of the world, so is appleby for that matter.

lovely place Appleby,and went in a fruit shop there and they gave me a timing disc for parking ,FREE,couldn't believe it.Cumbria county council knocks ours into a cocked hat,as you could use these discs all over Cumbria

i reckon ya could say we are missing out upt. nicolas part o the world this. she returns to charge her batteriesya should have a drive out there when the appleby fair is on upt...can be quite an eye opener with the streets full o harses, not to mention the river. ya can get a free look at some hard men first hand, i reckon it would be a return vist next year for you.

Who cares !

Hasn't this been a strange thread.
Anyone over 16 who revels in "hard man" "hardest" sort of labels strikes me as rather pathetic.
Who said "undisputed hardest man in Wigan" about their relative ?-give me strength; are those the words of an impressionable little lad? I suspect not.
Like Sue my grandad worked his hands to the bone to feed his family he didn't resort to hurting or maiming others to do this. He achieved this although he was seriously injured and suffered shell shock while in action in WW1.
My grandad was A MAN.

what bennie said, my grandad was a miner worn out by age 59 and died of a heart attack. I dont remember him I was only a baby but I have pictures and my Mum's memories.

My dad worked at Giants Hall Colliery, & died aged 31, in '39..I only know what others have told me about him.

He was a man also!!

At last some sense.

to each his own.with the broadest of respect to you anti fight folks, i would ask this question....would you take your coat of for a robbing employer, if you had the ability to fight for more money than you could earn in a year????
you must be honest here....any negative answer would tell me and others in here, the cut-of-your -jib.you would never see the likes of bart gorman tending six looms in a mill??or going down a pit??does this make him some kind of freak then???get a life, this guy and his ilk did what they know how to do, and earned a lot of money for their families. i would add he was a god fearing man, and he and all his family wore the cross with an in ya face size.they were pugilists of the old school, and very good at what they did, it put meat on the table, not jam. i can only deduct that the politics of envy are creeping in here. last of all, do you anti fight persons, ridicule or scorn modern day proffesional boxers?????the only diff between them, and romany fighters is this, one set is licensed, the others are free agents.

i would like to commend cozzer for an interesting post.good lad,your a/ok in my book.further, i would thank douglas for his input on this subject of defence.

Thankyou billy, its a very topical subject,hope people keep on writing their comments.

Bartley Gorman wasn't from Wigan, so has no place in this thread.
And the difference between professional boxers and the unlicensed fighters is vast.
Bartley Gorman wouldn't last one round against his pro-boxing counterparts unless, of course, someone in the crowd pulls a gun and shoots him!
Watch the videos of people like Lenny McClean, Roy Shaw etc. and look how slow they are, no self control.

Lanny McClean v Mad Gypsy Bradshaw

Then watch people like Mirko Cro Cop, Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice etc..

The likes of Mike Tyson etc. would finish them all off before breakfast!

I think the term 'hardest man' has conjured up the wrong image to some. I certainly don't 'look up' to anyone who intimidates or bullies anyone. The man in the video (Bartley Gorman) only fought with men who wanted to fight him for money. He didn't go around battering folk willy nilly. Henry Cooper became a national hero for doing exactly the same thing.

The likes of Mike Tyson etc. would finish them all off before breakfast!

Would he have their ears as starters

i aint going to argue with opinions,but i know who i would back.
i"m gone.

wigan hard men then tonks???hmmmm, er,just cant think of any in the class weve been posting about.

What about our departed friends the Mcfarlands Billy and Joe?

couple of dickheads

I post this reply to acknowledge all the PM's and emails i've had to invite me to reply on this thread, but i shall resist in commenting.

At least give your reason!

what in hells name are anti fight jam makers doing on this thread??????

What is the difference between a "hardman" and a "thug/bully/scumbag etc"

The hardest people in this world are the men and women who are told they have only a few months to live,the bravest of the lot.

i get the impression cozzer, this thread is being boarded by pirates???its a thread about hard men we have known, yet we are getting insults thrown at same fighters??the latest thread wants our compassion for a terminaly ill soul????i reckon its gone as far as its going cozz, so its back to the knit one, pearl two posts.oh hum.
ya did ya best cozz,and douglas opened up a view for everyone to see one hard man. he epitomised hard men, and thats what this thread is all about.
one fer tonks here...did you know that proffessionals have been known to hire a known hard man to have sparring sessions with them(pros)especialy if their next fight is against a brawler.

never mind the hardest man how about the hardest woman for me it was Mary Farrell, a reet tuf cookie god bless Mary we had lots of laughes,her paul could look after himself to.

when i was a lad i saw mary and paul fight another couple in beech hill, son paul was a pretty hard man.

For Billy -

A fat Irish idiot speaks, about Bartley Gorman, CLICK HERE (contains swearing, if you don't like it don't click)

A couple of Irish travelling 'hard men' they're really nice peopleso they are! (contains swearing, if you don't like it don't click)

they can certainly talk the talk

For Tonker, a true pro boxing legend speaks out.
he's a really nice person{contains swearing an worse, don't watch if you are squeemish}
I don't know about the 2 Irish lads but i DO know Tyson is a convicted rapist and wife beater.

..... and an out and out mentalist too!

Dennis Mc'cann used to be hard and had a reputation around Wigan one time, don't know what became of him though!

more of a bully than hard man

tonks...these lads can be seen at any fair. they come outa the kitchemer(boozer)full o tough talk. ive seen em climb ito a ring and collapse after the first blow lands.they are all part and parcel of the fair. its fun all round untill the main event, and then ya see the non talkers do the business.i recognise some o the faxces, and the fat guy couldnt punch his way outa a paper bag, but what a singer. yup, thats his forte, but after a few bevis, he"s challenging the world. i was amused at his comments on bart gorman???i tell ye this, when he sobered up, i bet he and his trailer were hell bent down the highway.you didnt bad mourh the "KING O THE GYPSY"S.take a ride up to appleby this year tonks, you could have a few days excitement. the bars will be full to the ceilings, i reckon nicola will know this.

Billy, seems all the "hard" men are all in orrell, just read this in the local rag: A Wigan pub has been shut down after becoming a magnet for brawls and assaults. Police say they were called to the Fishergate Inn at Orrell to tackle widespread disorder six times in January alone.

I am the new Tonker the Fishergate is not in Wigan

You've spoiled this thread, by putting all those Tonkers on it. It's giving me staggie!

seconds out,round one.

Maybe you need glasses nicko! Is said in the paper Fishergate Inn at Orrell, where do you think Orrell is, Russia?

It's not in Russia OR Wigan!

OK, we'll split hairs, its just OUTSIDE of Wigan

Scrapyard owner 'Fighting' Frankie Smith (GB) of Blyth, Northumberland, currently holds all UK starting records. In a 26 year starting career, he has started on no fewer than 35,577 innocent people, mainly in the pubs and clubs of Blyth and Ashington. On December 26th 1991, between 12.30 pm and 11.55 pm, he started on 512 people in the Dog and Hammer public house, the most ever achieved in a single day. Smith also holds the record for the oiliest dog and most unstable pile of crashed cars

read your post nightshift you numpty

Hey Nicko not seen you on the Forum lately ?

Gwim, that reminds me of an incident at the Turnkey. One night, a big Geordie tried to come in with a set of jump leads round his neck. Jimmy said, "Don't let him in, he might start something"!

The old ones are always the best!

still there Benny under a different name

Toss up between Cock-a doodle and SD, Nicko?

lol....Indeed they are

Na

What about Brian Mctigue? Miner,boxer,international rugby league player. Alex Murphy told me about Mctigue droping an Ausie forword who the press called the hardest man in Australia with one punch. Then there's Shaun Edwards,played for an hour in a challenge cup final with a fractured jaw and eye socket.And what about Alan Prescott, he played prop forward in a test match against Australia with a broken arm for almost a full game?

tuddy, now with Brian McTigue, yer talkin'.
An owd mate o'mine Bill Collier, brother of Frank (both ex WRLFC, deceased). Told me that he went in the Gym at central Park once. Brian was in on his own & didn't notice Bill.
What Bill saw frickened him, to see what Brian could do with arms & elbows on the speed ball. He said "I just stood there mesmerised, & glad I was playin' on t'same side as him"
Brians dad went mad when he turned his back on Boxin' & chose Rugby League.
One thing he couldn't do to save his life tho'.
They let him drive the yard crane at GKN on Woodhouse Lane, & more often than not, when he moved it, he forgot there was a jib over his head....He didn't half pop a few holes in the wall of the warehouse..

How's the bar, Bennie?

Exclusive.

Nice one art. Brian Mctigue,I never get tired of hearing tales about him.I forgot to mention Andy Farrell in that last list and the time he came back on against Leeds with his nose held together with bandages and tape.

There's an old story about one of the Mcfarlane's (rumour has it as Billy) in the West Ward Labour Club.
Apparently he'd had a few and so decided to have a dance on top of the snooker table.

Nobody dared say anything to him, so one of the committee members was informed in the lounge and asked to take care of the situation!

Anyway, the committee man marched across the lounge into the doorway of the games room and shouted at him.
"Oi Billy...would you mind takin' yer shoes off?"

Don't know if it's true or not but it's a good story!

Anybody who has successfully given-up smoking... that is the 'hardest' thing anybody can do to tough it out hard...

all in the mind bud, all in the mind.

Anyone who can't give up smoking needs to admit to themself that they are a drug addict just like any other drug addict. Maybe the stigma attached to being labelled a drug addict might spur them on to do something about it.

You're obviously linking drug addiction with choices of lifestyle... once the body is firmly and naturally addicted to any drug it hasn't got a choice. It has to have that drug come what may. Hence the 'hardness' required to kick-it.

Nicotine is hardest to do as it is 'a legal narcotic' followed closely by alcohol. These two drugs when they are socially combined and 'acceptable' wreak havoc with the human body... just look around you.

And the mind... yes the mind remembers the drug especially if the drug gives 'pleasure or relief' to the user.

When you're talkin about 'being hard' then I choose to look at 'high quality' Rugby League players who's total professional control of his game is tough and uncompromising but fair. Getting up after a big hit and carrying on regardless as it is his job, to do so. But lets face it - and this is not a criticism - they only play competitively 'hard' for less than 80 minutes a week.

I didn't find it hard to give up smoking. I used to smoke 60 to 80 a day untipped. Then one day as usual I bought a 200 carton, opened it, smoked two out of the first packet, & just thought "I don't need these"....Put 'em in the cupboard, never said nowt & a week later asked my Mrs, had she noticed anything. The reply was "what do you mean".
She hadn't noticed!! Never touched a cigarette since.
The cigs eventually vanished tho'. I had two lads growin' up, (could possibly have been the cause)..
That was 30+ years ago

Art - you are the 'hardest man' in Wigan. Any more?

billyshym, I'm the opposite end of the spectrum to being hard. I started smoking at the age of about 9yrs and was smoking daily by 11yrs. I smoked until I was 39yrs old. I just decided one day that I wasn't enjoying smoking anymore which is a far cry from my body saying it had to have the drug 'come what may'. I didn't find it difficult in any way once i'd made my mind up. It's nothing to do with being hard (I am living proof) it's about being determined.

billyshym, like douglas says...Determination, not hard.

Reaping the benefits with living a bit longer & many foreign hols.......S'worth it..

all in the mind lads/lasses.ya can move mountains if ya try.

I decided to try the Archimedes theory. I have found somewhere to stand, now does anyone want to help me pick this lever up?

The guy 'dancing on the snooker table' in the West Ward was a guy calleed Tony Crompton. I was there. About 1973.

Thanks Surgeon.
Just shows how things passed around get distorted!

no such person (theres always someone harder)

mrmoto.. The question was who was the hardest man in Wigan?

In fact asking for different opinions...Each to his/her own.

Obviously, by your post,you haven't an opinion, so you make a none post....Why?

ie: Who is the someone always harder? No opinion, no answer needed......Simples

bri you was right to a point, i was told it was joe mac and tony did it as well amongst other things.but no one would say anything to him

Thanks for that.
We'll get the story right in the end!

Although not from Wigan, I've not seen Bill Ryder mentioned.

good mate of mi brother him tonker use always come up riverside ave a chat and a drink wi are jimmy

i concider my brother ''ryan cummings''...a brave,hard man.who fought for his town in the late eight's and early ninty's.ryan boxed for 15 year's,and was good as his game.sadly ryan passed away,17th march 2008,and is truely missed,a couragious,brave and generous man.and was a true wiganer,god bless ryan.x

Bert Green was the hardest man in wigan esed to be head bouhcer at the casino early 70s

Like someone's said, we have nowt but shithouses these days. These lads who'll drink and drink then challenge anyone for a fight.

Ssyyxx what put em up tsssssk come on you pussy hic

Kanyewes,it was always so.

OWD BLOCK SPING VIEW SCHOOL 60.S HE.D MESS YOU UP AND SMILE IF HE WAS HERE TODAY THER,D BE NO LITTLE SHITS.

ryan cummings born 17 november 1973 started boxing 9 years old, you had to be eleven but he lied,represented wigan a.b.a and bolton and ileslington north london.he won schoole boy,s aba and won a place on the england squad, defended his title in ireland won in 23 seaconds first round, then in finland another knockout first round,then sighn up with frank warren

you are all wr ongthe guy in the park hes been there for a long time and he's hard

Deleted cos I posted in the wrong thread...Doh!

Tonker, Bill Ryder was a gentleman untill he had a couple of pints & then he would fight anybody, It used to take 4 bobbies to get him in a cell , so they say,

you are all wr ongthe guy in the park hes been there for a long time and he's hard

HA HA HA

bill ryder not mentioed becuase he,s not from wigan read the thread

It used to take 4 bobbies to get him in a cell

I bet you they still got him in though.

4Against one-well they would wouldn't they.

A young lady once told me that "A HARD man is good to find"

Bill Ryder was the head door man at the king of clubs for many years. also at the river side

The brass man sat in his chair in wigan park

Not born in Wigan ( born Leeds) but lived in Wigan from age 6 months to his mid teens...Owen ( Owney ) Madden. Moved with his family to New York he rose through the ranks of the Irish street gangs. Was described by no less than Al Capone as "the most ruthless viscious gangster ever "
He eventually became owner of the famous Cotton Club in New York´. If he was good enough for big Al, he´s good enough for me !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owney_Madden

walshy not every one was frightened of tony crompton there were harder men in west ward than him they just did not advertise the fact .he once pushed his luck with my dad [now decesed] and he got what was coming to him ... tony i mean ...

old Bill Ryder was on the doors in the late 1920,s in London, he also wrestled professionally at difierent venues all over the country.

didnt say they was, i meant no one, meaning the committee, would say anything because they where to busy robbing the bandits

Once saw Billy Telford from Scholes fight, woudnt have liked to have tangled with him when he was in his prime! One thing about him though was that he wasnt a bully or a bighead, youd more or less have to hit him first before he would react!

bill ryder was from downall green which until the boundry changes was in ashton . ashton was a susidury of wigan in them days . so i think he qualifies as a "wiganer" .

Downall Green is STILL in Ashton. Boundary changes in 1972, and after, are purely 'local authority' or 'council area' boundaries.
Ashton has never been in Wigan. Half of it is now in Wigan Council Area (borough), but not in Wigan.
The other half of Ashton is now in St.Helens.

As far as I know, Bill Ryder was from Haydock!

ashton was classed as wigan no2 section & downall green was part of it . dont think bill was from haydock .

Ashton has ALWAYS been Ashton in Makerfield. Wigan is a different place altogether, with about four miles between the two. Undeniable fact. The only link between Ashton and Wigan is the local government, of which both places are run.
When it comes to parliamentary regulation of that local government, Ashton is in Makerfield, Wigan is not.

Bill Ryder's dad, also Bill Ryder, lived near the Wagon and Horses, on Clipsley Lane, for many years. Whether Bill was born there, or not, I don't know, I'm just guessing. But he had a family there before they left. So I'm told, of course, I'm nowhere near that old!

you,ll find out different tonker ashton was wigan no-2 . take a look at the pics on north ashton & you,ll see owd bill ryder on there holding a very young bill ryder up in 1 hand .

Old Bill Ryder lived next door to the Jubilee Club on Wigan Rd Ashton and as far as I know he lived there until he passed away.

He probably did. AFTER he lived on Clipsley Lane, near the Wagon and Horses.

I think the hardest person in Wigan was Maggie Muscles, she could beat any man around lol

Old Bill Ryder was born and bred in Downall Green on 3/10/1909 number 4 Leyland Green Road and was living at 165
Wigan Road when he passed away aged 58.

He probably did.

Meanwhile, he lived near the Wagon and Horses, in Clipsley Lane, Haydock for a number of years. I believe he had a family there before moving back to Ashton.

Bob Cartwright from Hindley took some hard men on he didnt lose many if any

i can name a few myself. but, although staying in wigan, they werent as you say locals.every town had its hard men. for years a guy called stan walsh ruled the roost in preston.he had a strict regime...each morn he got out of bed, and stuck his finger in a honey pot jar at the side of his bed. he then went into the garage and punched the hell outa a punch bag.he had done precisely this routine, and went back into the house. he asked his missus for a cup o tea. when she brought the tea to him, he was dead in the arm chair.for a guy who had lived such an i ya face life, he went out like a lamb.

who the hell cares.

Again, not from Wigan but spending a bit of time there, was Gary Spiers.

I Remember him being a friend of Hooker

That won't last long.

LOL....I had a post removed with the word ar*e in it.

pink hard hats what next

Mollie. Enjoyed reading your post about your grandad and his Clog Fighting. You have ne need to feel embarrassed. By the 1920s Clog Fighting had been a well established sport in all the mining communities and the Irishmen from Scholes were among the best!

If you enjoy a good read, I can recommend a novel by Martin Cruz Smith entitled 'Rose'. It is set in Wigan in the 1870s and the clog fighters from Scholes figure largely. In fact, the champion is one of the main characters!

I agree with you built up shoe about Owd Block
only needed to see him in the corridor and that was enough to scare you

Don't matter who they are there's always someone else comes along tougher and harder...

That mon in't park wi' a stone belly

and peg up his bumb that is what we used to say . john

Eeeeee, that's a bit naughty Tonks.

BILL RYDER lived on a farm in newton . were young bill ryder and his sister marion was born they lived there for about 18 months and then they moved back to downhall green were owd bill was born in rectory road . raymond was born in rectory road. ken was born in booths brow road .. they moved on to wigan road . owd bill had a gym were he used to do boxing and ken used to stand at the window when he was about 4 watching them box it was at a pub in haydock . called Waggon and horses.. in a building at the back

i dare say i will be put right as to the name of the pub.but i will ask ken again when i see him

Hi rbilly, janice will probably know she's in the family.

i am sort of bambam as my brother is married to kens daughter he did tell me the name when i was talking to him last week but i forgot ,,silly me

Freddie Dyke. Knocked em down and locked em up no matter how big or hard they allegedly were.

talking about hard and tough men ov wigan to be honest its their poor wifes i feel sorry for i think they diserve a medal for living with such as u so call hard men ov wigan most ov them gave their poor wives a dogs life i av seen it with my own eyes what they put their wifes through

Joseh ! , yes i remember Freddy Dyke . Last bus on a Friday night 1100 , from town centre onit or face the wrath of Freddy. hard man but not a bully .

mr blackledge st williams sorted all the school out.pity hes not around today.he showed how to respect people.

Respect should be earned, not demanded !

Mr Maguire of St Josephs and Mr Frain of St Thomas More.

All this talk of Hard men in Wigan,,What everyone seems to overlook is the fact that like any other place the real HARD men are/ were the ones who fight/fought for their country and don't live to Bragg about it...THEY ARE THE HARD MEN

Geoffcott, I agree with your sentiment but would choose slightly different words.
Hard men are hard.
Our soldiers are courageous
There is a difference between being prepared to take a beating and being prepared to lose your life.

PS
Was your Dad an overman at Parsonage?

How do you define 'A hard man' ?????

Muscular ? Brave ? Mentally strong ? Physically strong ? Erectile function ?

Once you have defined what is meant by 'A hard man' who will be the judge or judges ?

Adolf Hitler. He was a hard man.
But he wasn't from Wigan.
In fact, I doubt he'd ever heard of it!

Wigan appeared on them secret maps.

Or at least parts of it did.

AND IT WAS WIGAN PROPER!

AYE,douglas tha reet in wot tha sez....N yeah mi dad wer overmon at parsonage...

Hardest man in Wigan is Sir Francis Sharpe Powell.

Posted by: ken rutter (352)
you are all wr ongthe guy in the park hes been there for a long time and he's hard

Replied: 2nd Apr 2010 at 19:13



Posted by: xxstuartxx (3861)
you are all wr ongthe guy in the park hes been there for a long time and he's hard

HA HA HA


Replied: 5th Apr 2010 at 22:16

So I'm right once again. LAUGH.

Home

I'd never heard of the guy til I read this thread.

tb

After the event.
Thunder and lightening, very very frightening thing.

Two people correctly agree on a public forum. You point it out, like it's something that shouldn't be the done. Why, qwim why? LAUGH OUT LOADS.

I love the way you have to edit so much to avoid other posters pointing out your errors. I take solace in the fact that you waste a little more of your life doing so. MORE LAFFS.

Be the done what I wonder?
LAUGH OUT LOADS

(Edited for effect)

I'm glad. LMFO

LMFO..HAHAHA....

Your still checking my posts, and pointing out errors. ROLF.

You're. Tsk!

Your still here, YFDH. ROLF

what about WJ Bunter , as hard as anyone else on this site mmmmmmmmmmmmmm what a sad thread

lol

John Holmes once claimed to be the 'cock of Wigan'. However, the story goes that he was well and truly 'flopped' by George Smith off Landgate.

wish ide never started this thread... !!! lol... over 11,000 people ave looked at it... keep um coming folks..My definition of of a hard man.. or men..! Are men who don't go looking for trouble , men who can look after themselves with their fists, not weapons.... and not sh..houses who think their hard when they've had a drink or think their hard because there in a gang, or they have mates to back them up..!!

MON ONTOP OF STATUE IN WIGGIN PARK!!!!!!

Took the words out of my mouth

i think the thread has run its course cozzer. thanks for the oportunity to reflect on a time when we owned this country, and were proud of our local customs, no matter what they may have been.a couple came on who should have been on a knitting thresd, but hey, everyone was drawn to a good scrap werent they, even the jam makers.
thanks cozz.

walshy, from behind his keyboard.

Looks like ive upset him again

Well it won't be you, who has to get his wife to stick for him, will it

HAHAHA

done him again

So easyyyyyyy

You get him everytime Walshy. Too easy for you. I always new you would get the better of him.

I know, I'm sick of humiliating him, mind you its true

That's why hes never tried to deny it,

HAHAHA!.

Gosh, thank goodness, I thought you'd gone to the swan looking for me

My mate is Wigan's hardest man - a martial artist, he can kill a man with his bare feet. Trouble is he keeps getting battered before he can get his shoes and socks off.

My Dad was a hard man.......I think it was something to do with having three daughters.....I think he had to prove himself a bit more in the eyes of people who knew him.....to me he was a real softy......

iwould say it is one who worked for a living and keeped is family on the right track.

Steve...HAHAHAHAHA!


Belter!

sir francis powel he has sat in wigan park for yonks

dib dib dib

dub dub dub

And it's dyb and dob.

♬ "Come to the Vicarage Lawn, Boys, Come to the Vicarage Lawn"! ♬ ⚜

I think it could be Billyaggs mate, Black Bob,

Seen a name mentioned on this thread Ronnie Roberts, is this the same Ronnie Roberts who worked at Parkside before it closed? If it is I would put him foward, as strong as an ox. Seen him punch Wilf Holland underground at Parkside pit bottom, his feet didn't touch the floor for 6 feet. He lived at Pemberton.

That's him, and a good bloke he is as well.

I have heard many tales about Ronnie from an old, now deceased, friend of mine that used to be his boss down the pit.

Ronnie still lives at the top of Pem, and often has a pint in the local pubs.

I don't know of anyone who has a bad word to say about him.

good friend of mine ronnie

he was in the swan on saturday, quite as a mouse, strong as an ox and an harder puncher than mike tyson

now he his a PROPER big lad

Builder boy and Walshy76. Ronnie was a great fella to have working for you. I can remember when I was a Deputy at Parkside a fitter was trapped, Ronnie run out into the road way and picked up an 8 foot lenght of haulage track. Ronnie just pulled it up ripping the road way nails out of the wooden sleepers. The track was used to free the trapped Fitter. I agree Ronnie was and from what you say still a true gent.

definitely, help anybody and strong as an ox

as for being an hard lad, that's why most of these so call "hard knocks" avoided him like the plague

My great grandfather was a tough man, Big Mick Kinane used to drink in the goose green.. and his son Jack Kinane he was handy aswell

Me Dad Wayne and his 2 brothers Andy and Beni were always getting into fights as well

Charlie Zelenoff !

Freddie Chadwick was a reet hard knock

I knew Fred and I know their Marion!

Are you talking Freddie Chadwick who had the Queens Pub in Platt Bridge

Brian McTigue could look after himself on and off the pitch and around Standish

Surprised that a certain Joe McFarlane has not been mentioned.

What about that bloke who sits in Wiggin park,he must be the owdist and hardest I know.