Barton tackle ‘exaggerated’

ROY KEANE believes there has been an over-reaction to Joey Barton’s thigh-high challenge on Dickson Etuhu — and that football is in danger of going soft.

Sunderland Keane boss, a ferocious tackler in his playing days with Manchester United and Ireland, said: “I’m not one for jumping up and down on the sidelines when I see a tackle. It was high but he was going to win the ball.

“The incident has been exaggerated. It’s not as though Dickson needed treatment — he wasn’t carried off.