Robert Huth’s response to Liverpool nightclub attack was just brilliant

When we talk about hardman footballers the same old names are thrown around.

Few would fancy a tangle with Patrick Vieira or Stuart Pearce while Vinnie Jones launched a Hollywood acting career on the back of his own tough-guy image.

And we might be able to throw another name into the mix – after it was claimed Robert Huth brushed off a brutal nightclub attack with the sort of panache one of Jones’ film characters could only dream of.

Jon Walters played alongside German centre-back Huth for five years at Stoke and the pair often hit the town together.

But they got more than they bargained for at one Christmas bash when Huth was set upon by on angry thug – not that he was bothered by it.

“On Christmas night out the lads are always excited and I always used to get them to come to Liverpool because it meant I could just go home after,” he told the Liquid Football podcast, which is produced by JOE in partnership with Paddy Power.

“Everyone came and me and Rob Huth went to the toilet. We had a private part of the bar so it was only us.

“Rob was at the cubicle relieving himself, going to the toilet and then someone came in behind him and just starts hitting him!

“This lad must have hit him with least three or four punches. But Rob just turned around and said [in a questionable but calm German accent] ‘what are you doing?’

“This guy didn’t know what to do because Rob just stood there not bothered and then a security man ran in, grabbed him and threw him out. That was Rob’s impression of Liverpool!”

Huth could have been forgiven for never returning to Liverpool after that.

But he persisted to keep seeing his mate – even if his rocky relationship with Merseyside showed no signs of improvement on his second visit.

“Then he came to my 30th birthday in Liverpool,” Walters explained. “We’d hired an apartment and had 50 people in there, having food and drinks. Then we went to a club.

“Within 10 minutes, a vodka bottle got thrown and hit someone. We were just in the middle of it, I think it was two gangs fighting. The bouncers crapped themselves, didn’t do anything. The lights came on, the whole club got shut down and the music went off.

“We were just stood in the middle of it as it’s all kicking off.”