Everton ace Neville puts the boot into wild tackling of serial offender Obi

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The player who stirred up both England internationals was Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi.

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Crouch was incensed by what he felt were theatrics from Obi after the striker's two-footed lunge at the Nigerian saw him dismissed in the Carling Cup quarter-final last month.

It was Obi's wild tackle on Neville and subsequent dismissal — his fourth red as a Chelsea player — in the semi-final of the same competition on Tuesday that prompted the Everton defender to offer his views on the foreign influence in the English game.

Neville said: "I think he went for the ball. It was probably with his studs showing but foreigners tend to tackle like that. I don't think it was with any malice but you cannot do that. That is the type of tackle we want out of our game."

However, retired referee Graham Poll pointed out: "Given that around 60 per cent of Barclays Premier League players are not English, then you would expect the majority of sending-offs for rash challenges are for non-English people."

Legendary Chelsea hard man Ron 'Chopper' Harris has some sympathy for Neville's view, saying: "Perhaps they are not used to the pace of thegameand not as used to the full-blooded tackles as British players."

Obi is fast carving himself a notorious reputation in English football. Four dismissals in 16 months mean he has twice as many red cards as goals for Chelsea, and 13 bookings.

He has been sent off twice this season for challenges on Neville and Manchester United's Patrice Evra which, when shown in slow motion, proved to be a fraction too high if only one-footed.

Still, his studs were up and the tackles deemed violent by referees Peter Walton and Mike Dean.

Obi was also sent off at Reading in October 2006 on his first Premier League start and was dismissed again in the Carling Cup Final, after coming on as a sub and clashing with Arsenal's Kolo Toure.

The Carling Cup incident, which sparked a mass brawl, prompted a lecture from former boss Jose Mourinho.

"He told me I could not afford another red card and since then I've been careful with my tackles and the way I go into people on the pitch," said Obi.

But his short fuse had been spotted by opponents who would try to wind him up.

Against Manchester United last May, he snapped under a verbal attack from Alan Smith and launched himself into an ugly lunge on Chris Eagles.

The United players reacted angrily and although Mikel was only booked, Mourinho substituted him at half time.

Obi must serve a four-match ban but flew to Spain yesterday to join Nigeria's training camp ahead of the African Cup of Nations and could be away until late February.