Source: Daily_Mail
Daniel Levy must not take the lucre for Luka Modric: Martin Samuel
Luka Modric will meet with Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur, this week. Modric is just over 12 months into a six-year contract and Levy has said he is not for sale at any price, so only one question remains: what will they have to talk about?[LNB]One presumes it will not be purely a social call, that Modric and Levy are old buddies, who just want to shoot the breeze and catch up on the holiday gossip. With very few exceptions, when players and directors get together it is strictly business. Certainly, it will be a short meeting if Levy's attitude is unchanged.[LNB]Maybe he wants Modric to hear the club position from the horse's mouth. The Croatian word for no is ne, sothat shouldn't take long.[LNB]Nijedan means on no account or not for the world, which is pretty much what Levy said when Chelsea tried totake the player earlier in the summer.[LNB]'We shall not be entering into any negotiations with any club about Luka,' Levy insisted back then. 'None of our key players will be sold.'[LNB] Spur of the moment: Luka Modric(left) models next season's Tottenhamkits with Gareth Bale (centre) and Rafael van der Vaart[LNB]It may be that rival Premier League suitors or middle men with an interest are now stirring up trouble, but in recent days doubts have been cast on the sincerity of that statement.[LNB]Tottenham are, historically, a selling club and some believe that Levy's stance was merely another bargaining tactic designed to drive the price high. The fees received for Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov reveal him to be an astute negotiator.[LNB]This deal is different, though. If Levy believes he can make such an unequivocal announcement and then passit off as a game of brinkmanship, he is mistaken. Having experienced Champions League football last season, but fallen short of a return, this summer is a watershed for Tottenham.[LNB]Either the club affirm their commitment to an assault on the elite, or they concede defeat and settle. Levy's adamant stance was considered a battle cry. If it transpires to have been just another sales technique, his credibility will be lost forever, no matter the size of the buyer's cheque. [LNB]There were many reasons George Bush Snr was not re-elected by the American people, but arguably the most significant was the following pledge: 'Read my lips, no new taxes.' He first uttered it in the New Hampshire primary on February 16, 1988, and repeated the phrase constantly on the campaign trail throughout his bid to be nominated Republican candidate, and to succeed Ronald Reagan as president. [LNB] Broken promises: George Bush Snr launches his residential campaign[LNB]Bush had secured the nomination by the time of the New Orleans convention but taxes were still considered an issue that would make him popular with the right wing of his party. So that night, he went further: 'My opponent won't rule out raising taxes, but I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes and I'llsay no. And they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again and I'll say to them: read my lips, no new taxes.'[LNB]It was the most explicit reinforcement of his policy yet. So in June 1990 when, as president, Bush did raise taxes to deal with the budget deficit, he destroyed his reputation and a plank of his re-election campaign. [LNB] More from Martin Samuel... Martin Samuel: Face it, Arsenal can no longer attract a genuine superstar03/07/11 Murray eaten by the shark: Nadal in for the kill after Scot blows bright start01/07/11 Would you talk like that to my face? On the internet, nothing is off limits01/07/11 Martin Samuel: Muzza? He's got to show he's no Gazza or Wazza 29/06/11 Martin Samuel: Comolli can't just bank on Little Britons28/06/11 Martin Samuel: We've got a hot one in cool Andy! Prince William backs a winner (this time) 27/06/11 Martin Samuel: Losing my record to a Plastic Brit has left me devastated26/06/11 Laura's bubble bursts as Sharapova struggles to straight sets victory24/06/11 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Read My Lips: I Lied, sniped the headline in the New York Postthe following day, capturing the general mood. It has subsequently emerged that Richard Darman, one of Bush's most trusted economic advisers and a veteran of the Reagan administration, had crossed the line out of the original speech but was over-ruled. Darman unsuccessfully argued that such an absolute statement would place the regime in handcuffs. He later commented that Bush's team was more interested in winning than governing.[LNB]Darman died in January 2008 but his type would certainly have counselled Levy against absolutist statements on Modric if there was any possibility he was going to sell. [LNB]Supporterswill be upset at losing a good player, particularly to a rival, but they will be apoplectic if it is felt they have been led down the gardenpath by a club for commercial purposes. [LNB]Thepicture of Modric as one of the models for the new strip will be viewedas skulduggery if he leaves, all part of a plan to reel the fans in, aswell as Modric's admirers, and fleece them all. [LNB]There is no wriggle room in Levy's pronouncement, no point at which a sale becomes acceptable, even if Modric acts up and requests a transfer. Clearly a chairman saying no to a player has to be prepared for a public, messy argument and is without tenability if he blinks at the first evidence of conflict. [LNB]Modric is reported to be earning ?40,000 a week and, unless his contract has been improved, there is a plausibility gap between his salary and his worth to Tottenham, or any rival. That is for Levy to address if he remains committed to keeping the player.[LNB]The bottom line is he makes good or he makes the Modric sound-bite his last, because if Tottenham sell, like Bush, who will take a word he says seriously again?[LNB]FIFA chiefs must avoid a roastingWell, that is the last of our weather updates, so just to recap that in the period the World Cup will be played in Qatar'scapital in 2022, the temperature on our randomly tested days has been 104, 108, 115, 113, 108, 106, 104, 110, 116 and 111, an average of 109.5 degrees. [LNB]That is the temperature at which fans will be expected to move about and congregate in the streets, so they won't, and the temperature at which footballers will be expected to play and train, so they will roast. [LNB] It remains to be seen whether the famously cooled stadiums will work, but the hosts cannot air-condition every training facility and public place, so participating in the World Cup, whether as player or spectator, is going to be a very uncomfortable experience for some.[LNB]And remember, it wasn't just the old frauds at FIFA who voted for this. Some of those we are led to believe are football's future, such as UEFA president Michel Platini, were also in Qatar's corner. [LNB]As the man who helped manoeuvre the World Cup into this oven in the desert Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation is now embroiled in corruption charges there is still time to avert this tragedy and it is FIFA's responsibility to do so. [LNB]There are certain countries that simply cannot host a World Cup in June and July: the ones with an average temperature of 109.5degrees, for instance. [LNB] And, never forget, this is a relatively mild summer. The record temperature for Qatar was measured at 121.28 degrees at Doha Airport and we have a decade of global warming to come yet.[LNB]Rewriting [LNB]There does seem to be considerable revisionism over Gael Clichy, now he has left Arsenal for Manchester City. Useless, apparently, and always was. [LNB]Yet Clichy's progress made Ashley Cole's transfer to Chelsea palatable, so he must have had something, and in the unbeaten Invincible season, 2003-04, he was involved in 22 matches, including seven starts and four substitute appearances in Premier League games. [LNB]Recently, he has not impressed, but to suggest he cannot revive his previous form at the age of 25 is further evidence of a club in denial.[LNB]If Carlos Tevez has as much respect for Manchester City as he claims, he should have made his intention to leave clear on the first day of the summer break, not hours before his team-mates were due to recommence training for next season.[LNB]Red Nev shows his true colourSky television pundit Gary Neville believes Manchester United will soon have the smarts to overtake Barcelona. In other news, night followed day, day followed night, Wednesday came after Tuesday and the studio executive who contracted Neville to give impartial views on football each weekend was last seen heading in the direction of Beachy Head.[LNB]Blubber Watson Homesick blues: Bubba Watson[LNB]Those expressing surprise at the US weakness in sports they used to dominate tennis, golf, heavyweight boxing may have been enlightened by golfer Bubba Watson's comments after failing to make the cut at the French Open. [LNB]Watson flew over at the request of his sponsors to experience a 'different culture, different lifestyle and different golf'. [LNB]He left under a cloud, claiming that it might be the only time he played in Europe because he 'missed home'. [LNB]Looking close to tears, bottom lip quivering, Watson complained about fans using mobile phones and cameras on the course, and having to walk through crowds between holes. [LNB]It was reported that he had earlier enjoyed a celebrity moment, refusing to share a courtesy car with a European Tour professional.[LNB]Taken out of his comfort zone, Watson supposedly one of the livewires of the US tour lacked mental strength. [LNB]If the US is to revisit its former glory it needs men with backbone, not blubbers like Bubba.[LNB]AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT...The mad marvelsA psychiatrist a real one, not a sports one, who is only ever as good as the talent he is mentoring would have had a field day with Novak Djokovic's literal consumption of Centre Court at Wimbledon after winning the men's championship on Sunday.[LNB]Djokovic dropped to his knees, tore grass from the surface, and ate. 'It came spontaneously, he said. 'I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good.'[LNB]This is a trait of the greatest sports people that often goes unrecognised. They're loonies. Do you know how hard it is to be as good at tennis as Djokovic, or to kick as accurately as Jonny Wilkinson or to drive like Ayrton Senna?[LNB] Eat it: Novak Djokovic tucks into the Centre Court turf[LNB]The very best are not sane, because sane people do not race marathons like Paula Radcliffe. They might run them. They might even have a time they are hoping to beat, but to tear it up, flat out, to train for 140 miles each week rain or shine, to put your body through all that even in the early days when there is no money or recognition, requires a level of dedication that is quite mad. [LNB]And then when one of them eats grass or has a nervous breakdown in defeat by a kerbside in Athens, we look askance and wonder why they don't act like normal people? [LNB]Because they're not normal people. A normal person does not win a game of tennis and make a meal of the court's playing surface; but then a normal person does not beat Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon, either.[LNB]Do we want him back?Chris Gayle, who some might recall as the world's most disinterested touring captain during the West Indies' last visit to these shores, wants to play Test cricket again. [LNB]Gayle is a batsman with the ability to take the game away from the opposition in just about any form of cricket and, at his best, is almost impossible to bowl at, such is his size, power, confidence and devastating hand-eye co-ordination. [LNB]He could be one of the most fearsome players of the modern era, but is now excluded from international cricket, having fallen out too many times with the West Indies Cricket Board. [LNB]On his day, the sport sincerely misses him; on others, he would be better off doing whatever it is that he really enjoys, because it certainly isn't cricket.[LNB]Why make it easy?The International Cricket Council decision to admit associate member nations to the 2015 World Cup is good news for Ireland, who should always have been allowed an opportunity to qualify, but bad news for the tournament, which will once again take an age to become purposeful and eliminate the weaker nations. [LNB]There was a compromise, in which the bottom two full member teams could have played off against the top associate teams, keeping the qualifying numbers to 10 without denying anybody the chance to compete. Predictably, it was ignored.[LNB]Roll up, roll upOlympicfootball is already a dog's dinner, and the surest way to confirm its irrelevance would be to call up a 37-year-old David Beckham to the GreatBritain squad, in the hope of putting some star-struck bums on seats. At least pretend it matters.[LNB]Caroline's No 1 On top: Caroline Wozniacki[LNB]Men's tennis has a new No 1 in stupendous form, underscored by his victories in the Australian Open and Wimbledon. [LNB]By contrast, Caroline Wozniacki, the top women's player, has never won a Grand Slam and exited Wimbledon in the fourth round to Dominika Cibulkova, whose pedigree was exposed by losing 6-1, 6-1 in an hour to Maria Sharapova in the next round.[LNB]Wozniacki's mantra is that her Grand Slam performances do not matter, but this is untrue because her position at the pinnacle is one of the main reasons there is perceived to be a crisis in the women's game.[LNB]A new champion made it an exciting Wimbledon but, for followers of Andy Murray, a worrying one, too. [LNB]If he cannot overcome being worse than Rafa Nadal, and he cannot overcome being better than him, there really isn't a whole lot left.[LNB]McIlroy is a major player so let him do it his wayColin Montgomerie expressed mild surprise at Rory McIlroy's build-up to The Open at Royal St George's in Sandwich. [LNB]McIlroy intends to visit the course twice this week, and will then play it once more, on the day before the competition starts. Montgomerie finds it strange that McIlroy has not played competitively since winning the US Open last month. And it is, by regular standards. [LNB]McIlroy, however, is a precocious talent, capable of rewriting the record books as he did at Congressional, and leading the pack in seven of the eight rounds of majors golf he has played this year. [LNB]He is clearly doing something right. So leave him alone.[LNB] [LNB]
