It all began with Roy Keane’s unceremonious departure from Manchester United on the 18th of November 2005. This controversy prompted a response article days later in the Sunday Times from its brash and controversial sports columnist Rod Liddle. The police did nothing — because we’re dealing with Premiership football here, remember, and the top stars are bigger than the law. In light of the debate in Ireland that the column would inspire, it is pertinent to note Liddle also called Keane a 'thug' for the tackle. If it reads like a vintage Liddle column, it was surely a perspective on Keane that was shared by some in the UK at the time.