If he was just a thug, then he wouldn't have played for Manchester United for so long, he would have been a liability, he could play, and was one of the best box to box midfielders to have played the game. He was physical, but I can't recall other teams, managers and pundits lining up to crucify his thug like tendencies, there's no way a player can survive at that level if their main contribution is to boot people, and it's an insult to his ability to say so. Maybe i'm wrong, maybe i'm forgetting the outrage from Keane's contemporaries over his 'thuggish' behaviour on the pitch, over a sustained period, you'll have to remind me.