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Luka Modric has been advised to consider staying at Tottenham by his national boss Slaven Bilic.

The eastern European playmaker was the subject of a number of transfer bids from Chelsea last summer, and it is believed that some of Europe’s biggest teams are circling the attacking midfielder.

The Croatia manager was present at Spurs’ 3-1 victory over Swansea on Sunday, and has stated that the White Hart Lane outfit are a big club.

“I have spoken with Luka and I will respect whatever he decides to do,” Bilic told The Sun.

“But I did say to him he’s already at a massive club at Tottenham. Everyone knows huge clubs are interested in Luka but what I said was he should not forget how big Tottenham are.

“Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle spent many years here and are proud to have played for this club. If he decides to leave then Luka should do it for the right reasons,” he stated.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini recently stated his admiration for Modric, and Tottenham will know that they need to qualify for next season’s Champions League to try to convince the star to stay in north London.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Reading have secured promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

Mikele Leigertwood scored the winner for the Royals on 81 minutes, meaning that the Madejski club cannot be caught by the chasing pack.

Manager Brian McDermott spoke of his delight at the feat, and praised his players after an incredible year.

“It’s been an incredible time really, the last year,” he told Sky Sports.

“It wasn’t meant to be last year, for whatever reason.

“I suppose in a way it tests your resolve and you can see what you’re about as a person and what the group are about as people and the staff.

“Losing that game at Wembley and being on that pitch; it took me a couple of months to get over that, and some. We just had to dig in and we’ve done that and this makes it all worthwhile.

“The players deserve so much credit, our staff deserve so much credit. I’m just so pleased that we’ve secured promotion tonight,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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After winning the Champions League final last Saturday Chelsea have wasted little time in getting straight back to business and preparing the squad for next season. The departure of Didier Drogba just days after guiding the team to European glory suggested that the club were finally ready to phase out its ageing core. However, with Frank Lampard now set to sign a contract extension and see out his career at Stamford Bridge there are mixed signals coming from the Blues camp. Would they be better off removing the old guard once and for all and finally moving onto the youth development strategy they have lauded as their ultimate aim?

At the beginning of the season Andre Villas-Boas was signed as Chelsea manager and asked to manage the club’s transition from old to new. We all know that he faced some serious troubles, but with Lampard now signing a contract extension it appears that the club have made a u-turn. The England mifielder showed a far more unsavoury side to his role in the team as he sewed discontentment among the ranks as he was left out under Villas-Boas’ stewardship. However, when he returned to the side he proved that he can still consistently produce the goods and sixteen goals in all competitions put him at the top of the club’s scoring charts. Drogba’s form in front of goal though has faced a dissimilar trend and has declined in past seasons.

According to The Times the 33-year-old Lampard can also expect a pay rise of roughly £25,000 which suggests he is still expected to play a key part. It could be argued that the club have gone back on their word but some positives can be drawn. With the creative Josh McEachran waiting in the wings, next season would be a fantastic time to bed the youngster in alongside Lampard in order to aid his development over the coming years. Hardly a single youth graduate since John Terry has been able to hold down a spot in the first team and now Chelsea fans are eager to see a new home-grown talent make a mark on the side

But it is not just the older players who need to be wary of the coming summer. Jose Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou are also set to be released, though the latter could stay should the next manager wish to keep him. Allowing these players to leave is good business as neither has truly excelled during their time, though Florent Malouda may have missed that bullet and could be offered a new deal. Replacements will come in the form of Marko Marin and possibly Lucas Moura of Sao Paulo with the team’s president revealing they had rejected a £32.3 million bid from the west-Londoners.

Such signings will do little for the hopes of returning youngsters Gael Kakuta and Kevin de Bruyne who both spent part of the season out on loan. Chelsea went to incredible lengths to sign the Frenchman but he has yet to be given his chance in the first team. The pair may now well find themselves spending another season away from the club, along with Romelu Lukaku who endured a torrid first season at the club. Holding onto players such as Lampard and Malouda takes a very narrow, short-term view of the clubs future. Youngster could be blooded, but instead familiarity wins favour and these ageing players will keep promising young players out of the side.

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The Chelsea board are clearly not yet ready to commit to the ideal of bringing through youth and would still rather buy for the first team. It is unsustainable, but the removal of fringe players that have rarely impressed will go some way to making the Blues a stronger squad. To be successful such an overhaul should be considered carefully and given ample time. For this reason, despite the extension of a club legend’s contract, the departure of Drogba is a step in the right direction.

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Spain got their Euro 2012 campaign back on track with a commanding 4-0 victory over Republic of Ireland on Thursday night.

Vicente del Bosque’s men drew their opener 1-1 with Italy, but never looked to be on course for anything other than a win against Giovanni Trapattoni’s men.

An early Fernando Torres strike gave the world champions the lead, before David Silva, the Chelsea forward and substitute Cesc Fabregas all netted in the second-half.

Torres was pleased to make the starting line-up and feels that the holders are back to themselves once more.

“You have to enjoy every moment,” Torres told reporters after the match.

“Today I had the luck to start the game, and score goals and enjoy it with the team.

“We saw the normal Spanish team again, and hopefully we can make it into the final.”

Xavi, who broke a European Championship record when he completed 136 passes in the game, was happy with an excellent performance.

“We played well and this match will help to build up the confidence in the team,” Xavi stated after the win.

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“We are happy with this result. We were at an excellent level today, and a great Spain was seen.

“We only depend on ourselves now, which is the most important thing. A victory against Croatia will see us progress as the first-placed team in the group, but the draw could also be enough,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

Tottenham are close to offloading wantaway attacker Giovani Dos Santos, with Malaga winning the race for the player’s signature according to Mirror Football.

The Mexico international came to White Hart Lane from Barcelona with a world of promise, but has failed to deliver or be given an extended run in the first-team as he struggles to get to grips with the physical demands of the game in England.

The skilful winger has been linked with a move away from Spurs over the last number of transfer windows, with a deal seemingly always falling through at the final hurdle.

However, Malaga are thought to be winning the race for Dos Santos, despite interest from Atletico Madrid, and will sign him for £5 million in the next coming days.

Tottenham are thought to be ready to install a sell-on clause in his contract on the off-chance that he succeeds elsewhere, whilst Dos Santos is also expected to represent Mexico at the Olympic Games in London this summer.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The technical definition for a ‘meme’ is ‘an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.’ This meaning has been transformed with the use of the internet and now people use memes to generate humorous images that can be passed through cyberspace to a global audience. Memes haven’t escaped the world of football either and are often used to depict funny or sarcastic events using picture form with inventive captions.

There are a vast collection of them out on the internet with individual sites dedicated purely to producing football memes for people’s amusement. Some are awful, some are decidedly average and some of them are works of genius that will tickle you pink. To save you the time of trawling through the good, the bad and the ugly, we’ve put together a collection of the top 25 Footballing Memes available on the web.

Click on Downing to unveil the top 20 Footballing Memes

 

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Everton have announced that they have resigned Steven Pienaar from Tottenham on a four-year contract.

The South Africa international moved to White Hart Lane in January 2011, but failed to hold down a regular starting position with the north London side.

After spending the second half of last season at Goodison Park the Toffees were keen to bring the playmaker back to Merseyside on a permanent basis, and Pienaar is glad that a £4.5 million move has been wrapped up.

“I am happy to be here. It took a few weeks to sort out but I am delighted to be back and excited to play for Everton,” he told the club’s official website.

“There was no doubt in my mind that I would be back here. At the end of the season, I told the manager how I felt and I am happy now it is all done.”

Pienaar joins Steven Naismith as Everton’s new players acquired this summer.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has stated that Rafael van der Vaart is an important player at the club, but was not conclusive on whether he would be sold this August.

The Netherlands international has been linked with a move to Hamburg, with the Portuguese coach streamlining his White Hart Lane squad.

Villas-Boas has insisted that the Dutch maestro was someone to count on, but was not convincing when depicting where the attacker’s future lies.

“He’s a player I obviously count on,” Villas-Boas told reporters, published in The Telegraph.

“Rafa was very unlucky because when he came back from his vacation after the Euros he got injured in the game against LA Galaxy so he missed most of our pre-season in America.

“He was a player that came back to us late so the selection was pretty straightforward for Gylfi Sigurdsson in the game against Newcastle. Now Rafa has trained with us all week and he’s looking strong and is in contention.

“He’s a player of great importance for us. I’m not sure if Hamburg are interested but he’s a player who at the moment is not for sale.

“In football you never know. Anything can happen but he’s a player we are counting on. This is football. If I let Rafa go it’s because I’ve allowed him to go. It’s not because someone is forcing me to,” he admitted.

Spurs have been linked with moves for Internacional’s Leandro Damiao and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Willian, with a deal for the latter appearing more likely.

“Leandro is a fantastic player but he is not our prospect at the moment because we are closed with what we are trying to do on the striker situation.

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“Willian is a player that I was interested in last year – an extremely talented player. I wouldn’t want to go very deep because I feel it would be disrespectful to Shakhtar,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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David Cameron today told the House of Commons how the South Yorkshire police orchestrated a cover up over their role in the Hillsborough stadium disaster, which saw 96 people die.

The Hillsborough documents revealed Liverpool fans neither caused nor contributed to the disaster that took place on the 15th April 1989.

The Prime Minister has said he is “profoundly sorry” for what he described as the “double injustice” of the tragedy, and described the documents as “deeply distressing.”

The report by the Hillsborough Independent Panel revealed how the police and emergency services made “strenuous attempts” to deflect the blame for the disaster on to the innocent Liverpool fans, claiming they had been drunk, ticketless and unruly.

The Prime Minister told MPs: “With the weight of the new evidence in this Report, it is right for me today as Prime Minister to make a proper apology to the families of the 96 for all they have suffered over the past 23 years.

“On behalf of the Government – and indeed our country – I am profoundly sorry for this double injustice that has been left uncorrected for so long.”

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He also revealed that Attorney General Dominic Grieve would review the report as quickly as possible in order to decide whether to apply to the High Court for a fresh inquest, saying it will be for the court to make the final decision.

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that he is happy to have recorded his first win in the White Hart Lane hotseat.

The north London club beat Reading 3-1 at the Madejski Stadium on Sunday, the first victory for the team since the Portuguese trainer replaced Harry Redknapp as coach.

A Jermain Defoe brace either side of a Gareth Bale effort but Spurs into a commanding position, before Hal Robson-Kanu grabbed a late consolation for the Royals.

Villas-Boas has confessed that it is good to record his first win, and is now looking towards the side’s Europa League clash with Lazio on Thursday.

“We were chasing this win for quite some time, and it is important for everybody. Hopefully we can shoot on from now on,” he told Sky Sports.

“I thought we looked bright, confident and played some very good football.

“It was important for Gareth, he scored in the international break and he has scored again now, and it has improved his confidence.

“I am happy for him and happy for Defoe to find the back of the net again – three goals in the Premier League shows the goalscorer that he is.

“I am happy for the team in general, everybody was very committed towards getting our first win.

“It is always very difficult against newly-promoted teams at their home, but hopefully we can build on this for the future.

“It takes out the anxiety about winning for the first time, that is always something that can stick into the players’ minds.

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“It will give us a good, relaxed week of work ahead for the Lazio game. We will have to show our competence against Lazio and I think we can do exactly that now,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight