Th,e dying art of tackling

Watching Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira reeling in the years left many mourning the passing of the tough tackle.

I watched with great interest the Best of Enemies programme on Tuesday night, which brought Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira together to reminisce about the battles they had with each other throughout their careers.

These were two players I held in the very highest regard for the intensity with which they played the game, their will to win – even if that meant they sometimes overstepped the mark — and the passion they displayed in abundance when they walked across that white line.