Source: Liverpool_Echo
Mersey Hard Men - Jim Harley would come into training for Liverpool FC covered in cuts and bruises
WHEN searching for the hard men of Liverpool Football Club, various names come to mind sooner than others.[LNB]Men of true Mersey grit, Tommy Smith, Jimmy Case, Gerry Byrne and Graeme Souness have all been highlighted in this week's series yet there is still a long line of players of tough repute who could easily make today's final slot.[LNB]Smith himself revealed one of the hardest characters he had the pleasure of sharing a football pitch with was his teammate Ron Yeats.[LNB]A certain Cup final tackle by Vinnie Jones aside, Steve McMahon was a tenacious midfielder opposition fans loved to hate, while more recently Craig Bellamy's golfing exploits earn him a mention for different reasons.[LNB]Of the current squad, Jamie Carragher is as tough as they come, although the rugged Reds defender has revealed he wouldn't fancy going toe-to-toe with Pepe Reina.[LNB]As for Steven Gerrard, well, the chant says it all.[LNB]Resisting the urge to highlight one of the modern day heroes however, our fifth and final Liverpool hard man needs more of an introduction.[LNB]Jim Harley is the only Liverpool player that had the honour of being named in dispatches for bravery in the Dieppe raid during the Second World War.[LNB]The Royal Navy commnado was also decorated for his role at Dunkirk after operating on a destroyer that made repeated trips across the Channel, bringing members of the armed forces home while under fire from a toll of German planes.[LNB]His bravery knew no bounds and he picked up another award years later when Harley - now retired from the game and working as a gateman at Scotland's Methil Docks - saved a man from drowning.[LNB]A natural left-back who could play on either side, Harley was a one club man. After joining Liverpool in 1934 as a raw teenager from his local team, Hearts of Beath in Fife, the tough Scotsman's eight-year Reds career was punctuated by the outbreak of war in 1939.[LNB]As with many of George Kay's team at that time, it was said Harley's best years were behind him when peace time commenced in 1945.[LNB]Still, he played an integral role in the 1946/47 championship winning team that defied all odds to deliver a fifth league title in the club's history.[LNB]Local sports historian Gary Shaw has co-authored the book, At the End of The Storm, that charts that title winning season. It was while conducting research for the book that Harley was brought into focus.
