Paul Rouse: Much has changed in 10 years of this column but sport's importance is a constant

STARTER FOR TEN: Conor McGregor celebrates a knockout victory over Jose Aldo on December 12, 2015 in Las Vegas. It seemed obvious that even in the height of his fame he was going to be very rich, but also ultimately ruined, writes Paul Rouse. Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Ten years ago this week the sports editor of the Irish Examiner, Tony Leen, rang me. He said he had a space for a column in the paper for the following two Thursdays and wanted to know was I interested.

I read the Examiner sports section every day, knew how good it was, and took it as a huge compliment to get that call from someone I’d never met.