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.
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