Football FanCast columnist Steve Sedgley looks back at the hard men of the English game and feels that the increased scrutiny of cameras, has made them a dying breed.

One of the questions that I am most frequently asked from football fans, since I retired from the game, is who I considered my toughest or hardest opponent. It really is a question that for me has no real definitive answer and I could give you a list as long as your arm of players who could fall into that category, but how do you define what a real hard man is?

It is fair to say that the modern game has taken away the stereotypical hard men, largely down to the camera scrutiny the players now experience on a pitch. You no longer witness, the subtle kicks, pinches or whacks that was part and parcel of the game then. These were the make-up of the real hard men who went about their business quietly and effectively.

My first introduction to a genuine tough man was Billy Whitehurst; a strong man with both a big physique and reputation to match. I remember being a sub for Coventry City when Billy kicked out the front teeth of our captain of the time, Brian Kilcline, and believe me that would have taken some doing. Our skipper was a real giant of a man, mad and fearless but loved by all and I was sent on to replace him. Within seconds of coming on I was lifted off the floor for having the cheek to touch Billy Whitehurst while challenging for the ball. It was my first experience of a hard men and I was to face many more.

At that time around 1987 of course tackles of all differing heights were allowed and of course the challenge from behind was common practice. Billy Whitehurst's was playing for Oxford United at the time and they had two centre halves in Briggs and Shotton who didn't need an excuse to kick anything that moved. Some of the tussles they use to have with Cyrille Regis were frightening and he really was a man you didn't want to upset too quickly. As was Jimmy Case; a player who rarely get's renowned as a hard man within the media but was in every sense of the word and more than a match for anyone.

While it would be simple to define toughness as kicking players up in the air, it is worth pointing out that in football there were some players who were mentally very strong. Roy Keane of course is a textbook example of a player who would fight his corner till the very end, never know he was beaten and would galvanise the rest of his teammates in much the same fashion. I have also come across players who have been going through difficult times off the pitch who, whilst on it, are getting their own crowd boo their every touch and still fought on, still doing their best for the team - that takes courage. A few weeks ago we all witnessed the mental toughness of Frank Lampard who in the biggest game off his career, days after the death of his mother took the penalty that led his team to the Champions League final. A remarkable show of inner strength and shows what the man is really made of.