AN all-English final must be at Wembley


IS there a striker who works harder than United's Carlos Tevez?


WHY all the sudden sympathy with Sven: it's the usual second half not so good


IT'S not unlike Kaboul to bite off more than he can chew

In fact, let's make it fair. This is not just about English arrogance. A long-standing rule could be made by those busybodies at UEFA: Any final that includes two teams from the same country is moved to their own back yard.

• Yesterday's HATCHET MAN

It allows that country to deal with its own troublemakers with the experience and expertise of the local police and avoids the invasion of fans without tickets causing a fight on every street corner. It stops the flashpoints at airports and avoids travel chaos. Russia should not have been awarded this showpiece game in the first place. Their police will be looking for trouble, not to mention the local hooligans from Torpedo and Dynamo Moscow, who hijacked England fans on the Metro system before the recent international. UEFA can rescue this. It's an easy call for them to make. So make it now.

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He's here, he's there, he's everywhere. Carlos Tevez put in a super-shift on Tuesday. There are better goalscorers – and, let's face it, better looking centre forwards, but is there a striker who works harder for his team?

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So it's not true. Manchester United's supporters can find their voices when they are needed. Hatchet Man has travelled around the world watching football, but there have been few matches with a better atmosphere than Tuesday's semi-final.

Stand up if you hate Man U? I sincerely hope you are all sitting down.

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Just so he cannot be allowed to forget, here's what Des Kelly wrote in Tuesday's Daily Mail. "Over a matter of days, Manchester United have gone from the fearless, swashbuckling people's choice for the league title and European crown to a strangely rattled, snarling pack beset by self-doubt, paranoia and tactical indecision." So, Des, how you feeling now? Let me know what you'd like to say to him and I'll pass it on. My pleasure. It wasn't pretty against Barcelona, but when you keep two clean sheets against one of Europe's great superpowers, you deserve to go through. Rio Ferdinand was outstanding.

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Has anyone seen Thierry Henry? I know he was meant to be wearing 14 and I'm certain that he came on, but he's somewhere in Manchester and an old shadow of his former self.

How the mighty have fallen. And while we are talking about lack of punch, where was Samuel Eto'o? In Wes Brown's pocket.

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Why all this sympathy for Sven? Just like with England, he started well but then fell away when City needed their coach to earn his money.

It might be knee-jerk, but foreign owners with money want a sharp return and Sven spent £50million to find his team behind Blackburn.

He was offered Roque Santa Cruz too... and said no. That's enough reason to be fired in itself. Cruz's 21 goals might have taken City into the top six.

Sven... you are the weakest link. Goodbye.

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There is an attack of the chip-on-the-shoulder player... another sulker at Spurs. Over to Younes Kaboul.

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"Tactically it has changed a bit, perhaps," said Kaboul. "But then, in terms of personality, Martin was a character. For us, he was a father-figure, whereas Ramos, it is just tactics and nothing else.

"Ramos has brought us that, but nothing else. What has saved us this season is the Carling Cup. People say we won the Carling Cup because Ramos arrived at the club, but that has nothing to do with him. We would have won it with Martin Jol." Don't you just love it when a player turns on his own, but isn't this the same guy who was pictured eating in McDonald's and hasn't played since Ramos took over?

Another one bites the dust. And didn't he cost a fortune too?

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One more game in the Championship and Stoke or Hull are coming to the Premier League. It's the football equivalent of lock up your daughters.