original: He was a sure tackler and it was next to impossible to fool him on trick maneuvers.
simplifications: He was a sure tackler and it was hard to fool him on trick maneuvers. He was a good tackler and almost couldn't be fooled on trick moves. He was a very good factory manager and it was almost impossible to fool him. He was a sure tackler and it was impossible to fool him with tricks. He was a sure tackler. It was nearly impossibly to fool him on trick maneuvers. He was a sure tackler. It was almost impossible to fool him on trick maneuvers. He was a confident tackler who was difficult to fool. He was a sure tackler. It was almost impossible to fool him with trick moves. He was a sure tackler. It was too hard to fool him with trick moves. He was a sure attacker, and it was almost impossible to fool him about trick manoeuvres.