'Jaws' Persona
Jordan was nicknamed Jaws early on in his playing career, due to his lack of front teeth, which had been knocked out. This had occurred in a clash during a Leeds United reserve match. He lost two front teeth after being kicked in the face during a goalmouth scramble. Although they were replaced by dentures, these were removed for safety reasons while playing. Having moved to Milan, in Italy his 'Jaws' nickname was given a local interpretation, becoming known as Lo Squalo (The Shark). Despite the dentures, this association remained with him into management; during the craze of taking novelty inflatables to matches such as bananas etc, when Jordan was manager of Bristol City fans waved giant inflatable teeth. According to The Times writing in 2009, images of Jordan's "ferocious fangs as a player still regularly Scottish newpapers whenever an excuse can be found to hark back to the game’s golden age" Jordan has been involved in several confrontations at the touchline and in the tunnel during his time at Tottenham, including with Roy Hodgson, Paul Ince Alan Pardew, Andy Woodman, and Gennaro Gattuso.
Jordan himself stated in 2010 that he rejected the caricature that went along with his Jaws persona, stating "I was what I was, but I look back and I had seven years at Leeds, who were one of the top teams in Europe, then I got a transfer to Manchester United, then a transfer to AC Milan. These are top clubs, and I had opportunities to go to Liverpool, Arsenal, Ajax. I’m not saying that to brag; if those teams thought I had something to offer, it was more than having no teeth."
Read more about this topic: Joe Jordan (footballer)