LEVY vs MODRIC: A MEXICAN STAND OFF

Oh dear Luka, what have you done!

We fans have short fuses and long memories, and these most recent set of degrading kiss and tells for me represent the point of no return - the "Berbatov moment" if you will. Luka has been given the benefit of the doubt by his loyal admirers: "agent manipulation", "bad advisers", "head turned", "he's confused" are all phrases trotted out from the usual outlets recently. But it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. The boy means business and obviously thinks he can win.

If you ask me we need to treat Modric like a child having a tantrum in the supermarket - ignore him. Make him realise that no matter how he behaves he's still coming home with us, and that if he's a good boy, shuts his mouth and apologises, he might get a lolly in the car on the way home.

He's already lost the respect of the fans, how much longer before we're actively resenting him? Do you see an apology on the horizon come September the 1st? Do you see the Chairman backing down? Each outcome looks as unlikely as the other, so you have to wonder where this is going. What is the end game?

Someone has to blink, and if Daniel Levy has the stomach for a fight this time round then it's going to have to be Modric. I just don't think he's realised that yet. Any more outbursts and even a grovelling apology isn't going to wash, this dumbass is backing himself into a corner that he's going to find it increasingly difficult to escape from. At what point does he break and think to himself "I've really fucked this up"?

If the league kicked off this weekend would he play - could he play? There'd be booing - surely there'd be booing. How can there be any way back into our affections for him? Perhaps he and his "advisers" need to actually consider the very real possibility that he genuinely isn't going anywhere - and think about the consequences of that. Luka may be playing the textbook trouble making card, but even he can't be that stupid that he'd risk making his Spurs career irretreivable.

I wouldn't threaten him with a year on the bench, I'd threaten him with 5 years on the bench. See how many players want to risk missing the best years of their career because they think their contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on - then see how many other employees slag us off to get their own move in the future. In reality though it won't come to that, the boy loves to play too much. He'd get 10 games in and crumble. This isn't Winston Bogarde we're talking about here.

Anyway Luka, you want to move on to an established CL team, that's understandable, you want £120k a week, also understandable - but why didn't you think of that a year ago? Too late to go crying to the press about it now. You've made your bed, now frigging well lie in it. We HAVE to prove we won't be pushed about otherwise Bale will be at it next year, as will every other world class player we ever stumble upon.

If I was the Chairman (and maybe I would be if I'd won the EuroMillions the other night :-) ) I'd be down the the lodge today for another meeting. The result would be a "what part of not for sale do you not understand" lecture followed by a fine of 2 week's wages. Then, when the penny eventually drops, I'd craft a carefully worded apologetic statement from the player and publish it on the club website. Of course, we'll still know it's bollocks, but the pretence of reconcilliation will at least mean he could play again.

If Daniel Levy genuinely isn't backing down, this has to be the ONLY way it can end with a modicum of pride intact on all sides. Modric must be made to realise that he's damaging himself - not irreparably yet, but it's getting damn close.