Touchdown!

Second for a great tour in the States

What time do the games in the states kick off , uk time?

@ spurfect one the Galaxy game (1st) kicks off at 3-30 am GMT, so you have a choice of no sleep or missing the game

Hope a few of the young strikers have gone - a good early pre season for someone like couillibaly could really force him into avb's thinking. Fed up that all the talk is about modric - do it early Daniel and don't let modric unsettle things after some early season positivity.

Windlespur - If you believed the Spanish reports, AVB said Levy is in USA because his wife is ill.

What-sux, there is so much crap being stirred up by the press to unsettle our club it is unreal. The other day it was adebajor deal off because he has gone back on his salary promise to us, now it is modric gone on strike. Reality is probably that ade will sign and modric was told that as he is not staying, we don't want him injured and want to do pre season with those in our plans. Hope levy does it early and just ignore the press trying to unsettle us. They no longer know everything that is going on since Harry left, so they stir up trouble.

if the modric thing is true he is bordering on being as big a prrick as campbelllend. you may think im not living in the real world bt the way he is treating our club id say forget ur move to RM, rot in the stands unless u wanna play for us and try ur hardest.

Windlespur - I agree with what you said regarding the press. But Levy is currently busy of personal matter if we take the Spanish report to heart, so he may not be able to do it early mate.

heart_of_blue - Don't worry, I won't be surprised to see Mr Roman fire his puppet manager before that, and signed Harry Redknapp as his replacement, and sign Heskey, Owen for free . Looks a good prospect to you, no? ;-)

chavs still bitter about mods i see.......what the boss says goes,simple......

***** OF RAT FACE MODRIC U ****

I will be at the Galaxy game on Tuesday.

Really *****es me off the number of peeps on here making assumptions based on media bull*****. There is NO EVIDENCE whatsoever that Modric has misbehaved. If a deal is likely with RM or whoever, it just as likely he has been told by AVB to go home while the negotiations go through. All this newspaper GUESSING is just that and people should see it as that and not be so stupid as to take it for gospel and react to it. As far as I'm concerned Modric is INNOCENT until proven guilty which is how you would expect to be treated if allegations were made against you !!

The reason Ratman has not put in a transfer request, is because Harry has promised to write it for him, both trying to get one over on Levy. Ratman is in Croatia, most likely on the Russian Mafia's Yacht, he of Chelski....I hope RATMAN never plays for us again.

Can someone tell AVB to shut his mouth?

Hot_Spur - I don't have a contract with THFC and if i did, i would have no intention of leaving or wishing to do so, if i was a professional footballer at spurs, no money, champions league or any other option, would make me leave, RATMAN, has a contract, if he wishes to leave make it known, and put in a transfer request, he has not done so, his contracted to THFC and has a job with us, not real madrid or ANO, at this present time, So i for one will slag the little shi7 off as much as i like.

Jocka AVB has gone public? NO, the MEDIA say he said that, there is nothing official. When it appears on the official site I will believe it, until then it's media crap.

Well sky sports have reported quotations from AVB. If its not been said then AVB is well within his rights to sue. I am confident he said it. Thats enough from me on the subject we shall just wait and see......

spu 4 life What you would do is irrelevant to anybody else. If a player (any player) wishes to leave a club (any club) that does not make him a bad person. There is no evidence that Modric has behaved badly, yes he has a contract but the club have agreed to release him from that with sufficient compensation for doing so. There is nothing wrong with that.

You guys will soon realize that AVB has a big mouth and no one can shut it up HAHA

#########IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT##########

Hyppocrit of the year award goes to heart_of_blue for this comment.

"I cant wait to see you turn on AVB mid way through the season"

Congratulations pal would you like to say a few words?

Big C I agree on the positions that need looking at but I'd like different personnel. More than happy with Lloris he'd be a great signing, Adebayor I think is a given, Moutinho would be the ideal replacement. Given Huntelaar's age, wage demands, transfer fee I don't feel he's the right target and Rhodes is decent but about as proven as Kane at this level. I'd like us to go for one big name who can operate on the flank to give us a few options so we go into next season with a pecking order of Adebayor, ST/RLW, Defoe, Kane, Coulibaly

AVB couldn't sue sky sports as they've clearly stated "as reported by AS" so they've not put their own heads on the block they're simply passing on information.

Spurs Allday I guess the answer to your question is that the press don't know if the deal is close, only AVB and DL know the precise situation. The press therefore can jump either way and although you say your latter headline is the bigger, not necessarily, "bad boy" or "bad news" headlines usually attract more attention than good news.

big cockeral, dude, you always get firsts, how do you do it?

Fanman you waste your good time mate, as and when Chavski fall they'll all have already deserted to City. You forget how they became Chavski fans in the first place ;-)

Spurs Allday Yes ok I concede that you may be right in this instance simply because of the sentiment driven desire to see the back of it. As a general rule though it's bad news that sells more papers.

You can blame the gentlemen's agreement on this. The clock is ticking for this sale lets just get it done and over with because the next offer will be lower and lower just as it was with Fab. It doesn't matter the amount of years he has left we can sit here and bench him and lose potential money to find a class signing. I don't care if he wants out this was already known for a long time. Levy will not get his money...and we will not have a player here who is forced to be here and playing at a 100%. He is worth the 30m...pull the strings already.

You can blame his agent for not inserting a release clause.

thfan watch your html! lol

IF I WAS A CHELSEA FAN I WOULD BE ASHAMED AT THE WAY U HAVE TREATED STAFF THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, AND THE FACT THAT U ONLY SUPPORT CHELSEA BECUASE ROMAN HAS LOTS OF MONEY AND U GUYS ARENT REALLY FOOTBALL FANS AND YOUR CLUB HAD NO HISTORY PRIOR TO ROMAN AND WILL HAVE NO HISTORY WHENEVER HE LEAVES PLASTIC CLUB WITH PLASTIC FANS. U R A JOKE

keep seeing JENAS... traingin pics and videos.. landing in the US.... please someone tell AVB to get rid... please...

Oh I'm aware of the situation, I was merely reacting to claims from some of your supporters that you should chuck him in the reserves for the next 4 years just to make him suffer.

An example needs to be made of Modric .
Players need to learn they can`t have their cake & eat it .Any player under contract should hope a move materialises ,not force one .I`ll forever be baffled as to why he signed a 6 year deal & why he never put a simple release clause in it .He has clearly been very badly advised .
Modric holds & a good hand but with so many years left on his contract Levys hand is still better .
,br>This needs to be wrapped up before it gets ugly .Modric on his own is ruining what should be a a very exciting season ahead .

Hand in a transfer request Frodo

CalculatedKalou, do you honestly believe that Modric will be at Spurs this season?

peterballb Exactly mate, excellent post.

And agree it was a top post

Ledley the legend king should just slap modric!

Spurticus, yes, we are better off with a replacement who wants to be here. The issue is, that replacement is already under contract elsewhere and if we don't buy them in good time, the other team will also not be able to get their replacement in. This will be Modic's problem. If we want Moutinho, Porto need time and the money to replace him, just as we need to with Modric. I believe this matter will have to be conclued before the beginning of August or it won't be happening. Levy learned a huge lesson from the Berbatov/Keane situation. His waiting cost Ramos any chance of fielding a decent attacking side, especially with 4 competitions and a new style of play. It would be equally damaging if we allowed Modric to go on the last day without having a replacement in. If I were Levy, I might well throw the money at Hulk and Leandro now, and then do the best I can with Modric later on. WE need strikers anyway.

I also believe Modric is much more influential in MF than most are giving credit. He will never be an assist man when he is generally giving the ball to VDV deep. He is also unlikely to score from so deep. What I will say is that whether beside Sandro, Hudd, Parker, Livermore, the central MF has looked pretty solid. When he has not been there, that has generally not been the case. A lot of what he does goes under the stats radar. My view of things. Again, it's a team game. He is one player. I believe Moutinho would score and set up more and perhaps force VDV higher, which would again result in more goals. Perhaps we'll score 10 more and concede 5 more. Last season that would have put us in third. He's just a piece to the puzzle and he doesn't want to be there. Buy the strikers. If it's not done in time to get a replacement in, let him sit til January. COYS

I don't believe that Modric tried or worked any less last season. What was missing was that extra flair that differentiates a great player from an exceptional one. Like Fabregas, he is a step above, but without the joy and passion burning, he is just great. Modric, last season, was professional, in most respects. The lack of passion made him look a lesser player, and he was. Still a great player. Just not exceptional. COYS

peterballb +1

CalculatedKalou - Fair comment. Not quite sure what you mean by "met his match" or "held to ransom" though. Surely it's in every clubs interest to demand a fee they seem reasonable. I don't believe 35 is far off a fair price for Modric who is legally contracted to Spurs for a further 3-4 years? If Modric don't want to pay that then obviously Spurs don't want to sell. Modric would like to leave to play for Real but ultimately his contract that he decided to sign because it suited him at the time is owned by Spurs. If Hazzard decided he wanted to leave Chelsea for Spurs and we wanted to give you 10mil less than your valuation of the lad, would you find that the right way to do business? The player is not bigger than the club. I would quite happily see the club make an example of him if he throws a strop. The club stated they were happy to sell if the valuation was met, which isn't unreasonable by any measures seeing as RVP is being quoted at 30mil with 1 year left on his contract.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYgoTKe_bjs&feature=youtu.be

It's funny. As supporters we are deluded into thinking these feckers are with us, and support the club like we do, even when, as last close season, Modric couldn't wait to get off. Levy should have sold him then, for much more money. His performances last season did little to increase his value, and frankly, he is worth less now than then. It is NEVER worth holding on to a player who wants to leave, and the club should secure the best price, as it is axiomatic that when a player first wants to leave, it is at a time when his value is highest. By keeping him for a season, nothing has changed, his value has decreased as a result of his moderate season, and we are back at square one.

Thanks for that, what_sux. I don't know if anyone else has noticed but Bassong looks a completely different player. He looks ready to go. I think he could be decent cover for BAE. He's strong and quick and is very powerful in the opposition box on set pieces. I would be very pleased to see him reach his potential. I like Rose, but Bassong has way more in the tank, IMO. COYS

LJ, the reality is, the only people who live and die with the team are the supporters. Everyone else, from top to bottom, are mercenaries. Some like King, and it would seem Bale, recognize that they are very well remunerated for what they do and thus show some loyalty. For me, Bale should be the new captain. COYS

i would never sell modric to Chelsea peterballb mostly because i feel Chelsea aere a modric short from being a much much better side. ill copy an paste a comment i posted in another article an youll see why... watching chelseas preseason highlights from their game against Seattle, i feel they will suffer from the very problems i was predicting and hoping they would. defensively they are a shambles as they have too many lightweight creative players who do not do the doggywork and therefore they often leave opposition players unmarked in dangerous areas, and also do not press the opposition team, leaving space and chances for their players to create. they are also way too high up the pitch, with noone in the modric mould to pick the ball up from the back, which is a big reason to ivanovic's mistake leading to Seattle's goal. also, due to their defensive frailties, it also hinders their attacking prospects, and also have many individuals in their team who will feel they are top dogs and want to do it themselves, therefore relying on their goals to come from mistakes from the opposition or individual moments of brilliance, which wont always happen. all these points were proven in their friendly against Seattle, judging from the highlights. not a lot to go on, but we can hope nonetheless. LEDLEY KING LEGEND!!

heart_of_blue- You are the apotheosis (look it up) of a Chelsea supporter.

Ledley King wasn`t loyal ,he was injured .Without the injuries King would have gone years ago .
King stayed because he loves us ? Get real ,King stayed because he was too much of a risk for bigger clubs to sign him .I respect what he did for us over the years but make no mistake ,he done very well out of Spurs .

Ragingspur- your best post of the week :-)

Raging, I don't believe as this is ugly business. It's just business. At least this year we know that a price has been set. If met, he will go. I wish Levy had just done that last season. Don't worry about sell-ons. If a non PL team wants him, the price is 40M. If a PL team wants him, it is more. 40M and Sturridge and Chelsea can have him (doesn't have to be Sturridge, just an example). The position just needed to be clear to Modric last season so that he and everyone interested would know the cost. If no one wants to fork up the loot, there is no deal. COYS

I reckon the only reason levy turned chavs 40m down last season was coz he knew he would have to give it to arry to invest...COYS

i agree yidmarks so lets get signing owen and heskey ;-)

marcusbluespurs - Click on the "Vital Membership" on the top right and "Suggest an article".

Upper right section of the site Marcus - "write an article"

I think our lack of moving players is more complicated than that. Pav could have gone. Harry said no. Keane, Bentley were on unaffordable wages. Crouch was too so we had to basically pay him to leave. We'll know once this window closes if the issue was Harry or Levy. If there remains no dead wood other than a couple of younger players on PL loans (ie Rose, Townsend etc) then it's all on Harry. I don't remember Ramos or Jol having lots of extra senior players hanging around, do you? COYS

Not many of our players really love the club but Im ok with that its just the way it is but if they leave then do it in a way that shows some dignity and respect. I dont hate Modric but to me his a player already forgotten.

I'm just getting bored of the transfer market alot of rumours but not alot of activity!!!!!!!! #Bored Anyway Nani anyone????

Not sure all the deadwood is down to Harry. He did not sign Pav, Bentley or JJ. But I do think we drive too hard a deal with regards to the buying and selling of our players. We will never recoup our money back on the deadwood and at some point we have to take a loss. I hope that there is money put away for new players and we are not waiting on the Modric money coming in. How can we put a massive price tag on Modric and the want to get Porto to drop loads of money off the price they value Moutinho.

raging.. Daniel levy is a spurs season ticket holder, and for a long time... before ENIC i think....so that makes him a fan just like us.

Not sure that it really means much, but I just returned from Canada after a phenomenal holiday, and had a chance to go watch Vancouver White Caps vs LA Galaxy...the first time I had ever seen Bekham play live, and I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was fairly decent for a sold out 30,000 stadium. Galaxy got completely outrun by Vancouver, Robbie Keane was useless, just chasing the game; Bekham tried his best to run the game, was close to being the best player on their side, his passing and crossing was always dangerous, Donovan did bugger all. Vancouver have Y.P. Lee at left back who looks comfortable and is enjoying his football once more after Spurs. Barry Robson in attacking midfield for Vancouver was a joy to watch, the biggest threat to LA and should have scored a few. Ended 2-2 but Vancouver should have run away with it. I'm sure LA will be tough for us, but I think we are strong enough to beat them, even if it is just a friendly.

The mistake that Modric did initially, from his point of view was he signed a very long contract. I know he wanted the pay rise. With 4 long years left on his contract, Levy hold all the bargaining power. Levy imo is fully entitled to expect appropriate renumeration for one of our best players at current market rates. Again, he is one of our best players. I know at Madrid, he may be on the bench but that's not our problem. This situation is less than ideal but I'll trust Levy to do the right thing by us. COYS!!!

TaxiforMaicon, thanks for the update on our ex players. Robbie Keane was a SPURS hero but unfortunately for him well past his best. In retrospect, we should not have gotten him back last time.

BigC, look, I don't hold many athletes out to be anything more than mercenaries. They are all much more concerned about their own well being and comfort than anything else. (very few exceptions - Jim Brown and a few others) And, truth be told, that applies to most people in modern society. I am not naive. King, as far as my recollection goes, did not, at any time, make waves at Spurs. IMO, he fully deserved to be captain and seemed to be respected by his teammates. Was he one of the best Spurs of all time? Hard to make any determination because he didn't play long enough and as you rightly point out, he didn't win very much. He may well be the best CB I have seen play in a Spurs shirt and, on his day, was as good as any of his contemporaries. His timing and reading of the game was as good as I have seen. This past season, his lack of playing started to work against him. He was a shell of his former self. Much of what he has done off the pitch does not really make me think he is exceptional as a human being. That said, in a Spurs shirt, he was golden and I do believe he could have played elsewhere if he had so desired. My opinion. I hear what you are saying. I am just unwilling to take away the benefit of the doubt from him on the loyalty side. He could easily have signed on with another team this year and cashed in some more. He didn't. I hope that he has less of a tough time of it than others, like Bobby Orr, who have had to retire early because of knee, head and back issues. These can be so debilitating. I wish him well and thank him for everything he has done in a Spurs shirt. I have never questioned his allegiance to the club. COYS

All the way through this thread anyone who is naturally *****ed at modric is getting slated! I DONT CARE THAT HE'S LEAVING IT'S THE WAY HE'S GONE ABOUT BUSINESS SINCE RELEASING A STATEMENT EXPRESSING HIS DESIRE TO LEAVE WITHIN HOURS OF THE FIRST DEROGATIVE CHELSEA BID! He has no class and screws our negotiating position

Ssspurss then why has bale signed a contract extension? Kinda blows that theory out of the water, siggy, adebayor and vertoghen and the young united left back, all foreign 3 are young and had several offers available! Levy = winner, spurs just want a decent price but modders screws us over by trying to force th transfer through after the first bid regardless of how DEROGATIVE! 22mill last season? If an out of form Torres is worth 50 mil and a 29 yr old RSVP with 12 months left on his contract is valued at 30 million modric is at the very very least worth 35 million! imagine the message levy sends out abou player power and big clubs bullying us into selling our best players cheap if he caves? The strength in which he's playing our hand should be admired after all I'd rather be seen as to tough than weak and modric has forced it so tey are our only 2 options

http://fifa13-cheats.com/2012/07/19/tottenham-hotspurs-are-fifa-13-official-partners/

Players only care about two things.

Playing time - Mostly desired by the younger generation in order to build up a reputation. It ofcourse helps them solidify a place in their national side, allows progression and leads to bigger pay packets upon their development.

The otherside of this is also the competitions in which a club competes in. Playing time in the Champions league will obviously be more attractive than Europe league but ofcourse this is sought after by the older generation who have already made a name for themselves or wish to prove they can still mix it with the big boys.

Money - Mostly desired by the older generation, but ofcourse desired by those youngsters who have proven themselves from a young age. Player's like RVP are a prime example of a player looking for his last pay packet. Extremely common when a player turns 30 as we saw with Dimitar Berbatov. Never expect one of these players to take a pay-cut in order to gain playing time. Most would happily play out their existing contract sitting on the bench providing the salary is higher.

Modric is in the money grabber category as of now. If Spurs offered him 180k a week, he wouldn't blink an eyelid at Madrid or Chelsea. Trohpies are just for show, money talks.

Dwonder - Carlos Tevez

Well AVB is going to clear things up in a press conference today so that'll end any doubt over what's going on. The BBC are reporting that he's going to be fined so I'd say that is proof enough that the guys been playing up but for those who refuse to believe AVB will soon tell you the extent of Modric's unprofessional behavior.

Quit with this gentleman's agreement debate, it's quite clear. We had an agreement to sell if a bigger club came calling which is why we were able to happily turn down Chavski but had to enter negotiations with Madrid, we've kept our word.

Spurs Allday - If anything was agreed it would have been written into his new contract. If i promised you 100,000GBP if you played football with me tomorrow, would you not rather that be put in writing?

If Levy said anything at all, it was most likely "We will sell if the right club offers the right money". It's varely rare that a manager/chairman will give anything more than that away even to the players.

Ryan I hope you're not a goalkeeper

Ryan it's an expression which means somethings gone sailing over your head lol read what I wrote again but don't take it so literally and put emphasis on "bigger club" ;-)

Ryan yup ;-)

Spurs Allday - Yeh definitely. I mean the only way i can see this "gentlemans agreement" taking form is if Levy agreed to sell but refused to allow Modric to leave for a PL club. Even then i'm sure something could be drafted to state minimum buyout clause of 35mil excluding PL clubs. Modric is simply doing a Tevez and he should expect the same treatment if he continues.

Modric is to Spurs as Tevez was to Man Citeh? Stop paying him and send him home.

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