SUPER JOHNNY HARTSON

Rio Ferdinand last night promised John Hartson that he already has been on the receiving end of ALL his dirty tricks.

Ferdinand spent two years on West Ham's Chadwell Heath training ground coming off black and blue after trying to get the better of the Welsh hardman.

It was a rude awakening for the defender, and Welsh hopes for a triumph over the Three Lions are heavily invested in Hartson.

Ferdinand, 27, said: "John is a quality player. I've always said that. When he was at West Ham and we were playing well he was one of the best strikers in the league.

"He's a fantastic player and has done very well in Scotland - but I know exactly how much of a handful he is to play against.

"I used to be up against him every day in training. He used to elbow me, kick me and headbutt me.

"But that was what it was all about. It was a good upbringing for me and I enjoyed it. It wasn't only John, because we had Iain Dowie there too.

"Playing against them and the way they made it hard for me in training taught me a lot.

"I think we know what to expect in Cardiff and it will be different from the game at Old Trafford last season.

"But we had to contain them then, and there are ways to do it. This time their fans will demand more of them. We'll just have to approach it with the right attitude.

"I didn't had a good game against Denmark. I set my own standards very high and that was nowhere near them.

"I've been involved in some great games in the past like the 5-1 win in Germany and this was the other end of the scale.

"I don't know whether you can say players were resting on their laurels, but it's true that in that game no one played to their potential. You can't go out and have 11 players not playing to their potential and that's what happened in Denmark.

"As a team and a unit we are doing very well at United and that means it is also going well individually.

"We knew we had to rectify last season after winning no trophies. We are professionals and we know we weren't good enough.”