Gus Poyet has defended Lee Cattermole following suggestion that the midfielder should have been sent off during Sunderland's draw with Leicester City yesterday.
Cattermole, who was returning from a suspension, caught Esteban Cambiasso with a heavy tackle in the second half, but the referee did not feel that it merited a sending off.
The Black Cats manager told BBC Sport: "10 years ago his tackle would have been highlighted as one of the best in England. We are going soft.
"These people that never play football and don't have a clue are trying to make it a non-contact sport. This is football. It was a proper English tackle."
The goalless draw left Sunderland 14th in the Premier League table.
No Data Analysis info
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic