Vinnie Jones - Playing Events

Playing Events

During his playing days, Jones was renowned for his "hard man" image, an aspect of his play that was frequently the target of criticism. He was sent off 12 times in his career, as well as holding the record for the quickest ever booking in a football match, being booked after just three seconds for a foul on the opposition player Dane Whitehouse in a Premier League tie between Chelsea and Sheffield United in 1992. In his autobiography, he recalls fondly: "I must have been too high, too wild, too strong or too early, because, after three seconds, I could hardly have been too bloody late!".

In one notorious incident in 1987, Jones was photographed grabbing Paul Gascoigne by his testicles in order to faze him. In November 1988, in a match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wimbledon, he was responsible for a dangerous challenge on defender Gary Stevens, an injury that Stevens never fully recovered from and eventually caused him to retire in 1992.