May 1st 2007 - a day that will be remembered fondly by one set of fans and equally reviled by the other,  depending on the outcome of tonight's momentous and white-hot European Cup semi-final.

You will excuse me if I do not refer to it as the "Champions League." I will not subscribe to the re-naming of a tournament that ultimately leads to the prize of the European Cup. It is not the Champions League. If that were the case then let only Champions compete.

I digress, the real point of discussion here is of course another Liverpool-Chelsea cup-tie and amazingly a second European Cup semi-final between the two sides in two years. There is little doubting that Chelsea have had the better of things in the bread and butter of the league but come cup time Rafa Benitez most definitely has the edge, with the exception, of course, of that League Cup final and last Wednesday's result.

What we should be doing now, neutrals and fans alike, is looking forward to an entertaining if not nail-biting evening's football. Instead the focus has been on Jose Mourinho and his pathetic and inexcusable tirade against anyone in direct competition with Chelsea for silverware at this critical point of the season.

It was once commented that this was, in fact, superb thinking by the Portugese whinger as he aimed to deflect attention from his players and thus let them play unbridled. I think José was afforded a scarcely deserved compliment. I would not do him the credit of assuming anything he says is pre-empted. He is an ignorant man, a small man whom we can see now cannot work under pressure.

Look to Sir Alex Ferguson for example. Liverpool fans, particularly, will agree that their hatred of United stems more from the fact they are winning and they more often than not beat Liverpool rather than outright hatred. Liverpool themselves were hated due to their past success. It seems everyone hates a winner and loves to see them fall. Despite it all, Ferguson deserves a grudging respect, a man who has surpassed all expectations and looks to have led the most ordinary United side I have seen in years, with the odd exception, to another title. Love him or hate him, you have to admire him.