LET'S get real, Taylor's tackle on Eduardo was an unfortunate mistake


SPURS show lack of Euro vision with timing of Carling Cup party


PLUS it's one rule for the big boys and another for Boro's Aliadiere

It was one tackle, one mistimed tackle from a bloke trying to do his job. He was clumsy and who hasn't been clumsy?

Martin Taylor will regret his challenge on Eduardo for the rest of his career, but can the morons leave it alone now and go and play with the traffic on the M25, instead.

• Read yesterday's HATCHET MAN here

From yesterday's Daily Mirror: "One anti-Taylor hate-fuelled petition had nearly 27,000 names on it last night. Others calling him the 'Birmingham Butcher' promised some terrifying reprisals and called for him to be banned for life."

It's true. I looked.

Another site I found replayed the tackle, showed a close-up picture of Taylor and suggested, "Anyone who sees him in the street should go up to him and boot him."

No, people, no. We have to be more civilised than this. We have to understand that Taylor meant no deliberate harm and that if anyone is writing anything it should be concentrated on 'get well soon' cards to Eduardo. The poor fellow will need all the encouragement he can get to play again.

Taylor has done nothing to deserve this.

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Clumsy challenge: the moment Martin Taylor will want to forget

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Tottenham have decided that an open-top bus parade is no way to celebrate their first trophy for nine years.

Instead, they will celebrate winning the Carling Cup Final against Chelsea by showing off the trophy before their UEFA Cup quarter-final tie against PSV.

Dancing and prancing around before a big European tie against a Champions League regular like PSV is no way to prepare for such a difficult tie.

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Appearing next before PSV: Woodgate parades the Carling Cup

I don't know about "Get your trophies on the table", more like "Get your money on the Dutch".

Never mind, Spurs have had their one trophy for this decade. Welcome to another false dawn. Who makes these decisions?

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Hatchet Man has had the calculator out to add up Chelsea's shots on goal in the last three games.

None against Liverpool in the Premier League, not many against Olympiacos in the Champions League and even less against Tottenham in the Carling Cup Final.

Total = the sack for Avram.

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Chelsea reached the FA Youth Cup semi-final for the first time in 35 years last night, beating Plymouth 5-2.

The team included a Danish centre forward, a French hat-trick hero and a Slovakian midfielder.

Glad to see all that Russian money is being put to good use on the development of English talent.

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Just so we all understand the rules. If you play for a big club (like Gallas and Mascherano) you can kick and slap your opponents off the ball and, despite studying video evidence, the FA will give you a nod and a wink and nothing happens next.

If you play for a smaller club, like Middlesbrough, you get a red card, a three-game ban and then when you try to appeal, the ban is increased to four games and the appeal described as 'frivolous'. (Dictionary description of frivolous: not having any serious purpose or value).

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Jeremie Aliadiere: sees red... and a four-match ban

Jeremie Aliadiere should not have raised his hands in retaliation to Liverpool's Javier Mascherano on Saturday, but what happened to a level playing field?

Steve Gibson is absolutely right to have a rant. Three games for Martin Taylor for smashing Eduardo's leg in three places, four games for Aliadiere for a gentle handbag slap?

"We have amateurs running the professional game," complained the Middlesbrough chairman.

How right he is.

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Anyone see Phil Neville of Everton try to stop the over-officious Rob Styles from sending off Martin Petrov 20 seconds from the end of Manchester City's collapse against Everton?

I've always liked Neville. He's a good pro, a grafter of a player and a fair and decent guy. His behaviour at the City of Manchester Stadium proved it.

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Here's an idea if you're sick of the unwelcome, expensive, over-hyped world of the Premier League.

Hatchet Man visited London and dropped into Leyton Orient versus the former European champions Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

It was an unremarkable game that finished 1-0. But it was easy to park, easy to get a beer and the ticket cost an affordable £22.

If you are really fed up with Richard Scudamore and his plans to conquer the world and want to punish him for his foolish, failed plan for the 39th game, vote with your feet, stay away from the Premier League and go and watch a community team.

They need your support and you will be made to feel welcome.

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I'm starting to feel sorry for Newcastle. Shay Given out for the rest of the season? You can hear the laughing all the way from Sunderland, but we don't want them to drop out of the Premier League, do we?

For all their boardroom mismanagement and the foolish appointment of Kevin Keegan, their supporters deserve better. How they need a win against Blackburn this weekend.

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This clip brings a whole new meaning to being a ball boy...