I suppose it always was hard to tell whether there was an honest attempt at getting the ball, rather than a cynical attempt to stop the man by fair means or foul. Like you Den, I believe tough tackling should be part of the game. The cynical foul should have no place in any game. Nor should this diving as soon as you receive anything harder than a good stare.
I quite enjoyed seeing a forward doing a beauty of a dive in one World Cup. His reward was an unhesitating boooking by the ref. I wish that happened more often!