ARSENAL are through to their 20th FA Cup final and Arsene Wenger can smile again. From zero to hero in 120 minutes.

The banners and fly-pasts calling for the Frenchman to pack his bags and leave were in short supply after Alexis Sanchez hit the winner against Manchester City to leave Pep Guardiola out of touching distance of silverware to mark his first season in the Premier League.

Euphoria! Wenger joy as Arsenal topple Pep. Mr. Motivator.

Just a few of the headings that topped the reports of Sunday’s semi-final. Even Wenger was moved by it all. The signs are that we are likely to see him spending at least another year at the Emirates.

What was all that rubbish about losing the dressing room?

But as soon as you find yourself a hero, up pops a sporting villain to restore the balance.

Step forward Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase.

One of my fondest memories of the long hot summer of 1976 was sitting on Wimbledon’s centre court and watching a tennis maestro in action, laughing, joking, arguing a lot – but nearly always ending up smiling even through the occasional tantrum. A showman. But even then, Mr Nasty was a convenient label to pin on him.

Now 41 years on, the 70-year-old captain of the Romanian Fed Cup team has truly earned the title.

Sexist, racist, foul-mouthed abuse were just some of the accusations aimed at Nastase and they were enough to get him banned from the match – a ban he apparently ignored.

His response: He couldn’t care less. “I don’t regret it and they can send me to prison if they want to – I don’t care. This is Romania I can do what I want.”

Those fond memories of Wimbledon 1976 may have become a bit blurred with the passing of time, but as one Romanian journalist pointed out: He’s been like this for years.

My list of 20 favourite sportsmen has just been reduced by one more (the late South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje lost his place when he was found guilty of match fixing.)

TOO tough … or too easy?

Jose Mourinho reckons that English clubs find it tough in Europe because the Premier League is so competitive that there are no easy games to relieve the week-to-week pressure.

When Celtic make their annual early exit from the Champions League the reason put forward is that the Scottish Premiership is such a stroll for the Glasgow club that they cannot prepare properly for Europe.

Well, which is it, gents?

BARROW Raiders will be flying the flag for League One clubs in today’s draw for the sixth round of the Challenge Cup, no doubt hoping for a money-spinning tie against Super League opposition.

The question is: do such games still exist?

In the weekend’s fifth round ties, Swinton won at Huddersfield Giants in front of a crowd of 1,298; Salford’s home game with Toronto drew just 1,318, while even a visit to Leeds Rhinos hardly made Doncaster rich, because the crowd was a measly 5,097.

Yet more evidence, I fear, that the cup is for those of us with long memories of better days rather than today’s if-it-isn’t-Super-League-it-isn’t-anything supportrers.

TO those of you who have had the season-long trials and tribulations of Corby Town FC foisted on you in these columns but still looking for a happy ending – there isn’t one.

I am not looking for sympathy, but I blame Workington Reds. All they needed was a single goal against struggling Sutton Coldfield and Corby would have been safe from relegation.

But they couldn’t even manage that so the Steelmen went down – and all because they lost 4-1 at Coalville Town.

I said not so long ago – the important thing about football is that it isn’t important. I was fibbing.