COME off it, Sparky.

The only people who went over the top re-Arsenal v Blackburn were not us sports journalists, but your players in their tackling.

Part of the problem of Mark Hughes' final year in charge of Wales was the attempt from some people within the Welsh camp to pull the wool over the eyes of the public.

Namely, players close to Hughes insisting that everything was still great with the Welsh national team - when the evidence in terms of results was totally to the contrary.

By and large, Welsh football fans are too intelligent to be duped. They knew the real truth because they kept trooping away from the Millennium Stadium disappointed.

Equally, British football fans who witnessed Arsenal v Blackburn either at the Millennium Stadium or on TV know what really went on.

They saw it with their own eyes.

It's one thing for Hughes' team to be competitive, as his Wales side commendably were. Another entirely to tread over the line.

And Blackburn crossed that line, being lucky to have only four yellow cards to their name and to have 11 men on the pitch at the final whistle. Whereas I started the game willing Blackburn to win so Sparky could reach the FA Cup final, by the end it became a case of wanting them to lose for the sake of football.

Hughes' Wales team were always aggressive and combative in their tackling, but by and large they remained within the confines of the law. And, having put in their own challenges, Wales would give the ball to flair players like Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Simon Davies who would get thumped themselves.

Wales supplemented any brawn they showed with some brilliant skill.

Blackburn didn't have that luxury on Saturday because their players aren't good enough.

The only thing Hughes had to do was admit the truth. That his players were over the top and he will be speaking to them to try to ensure it doesn't happen again.

There were gaping gaps in the Millennium Stadium stands where Blackburn's fans should have been.

As the man from The Sun put it, "Would you pay big money to watch that sort of rubbish every week?"