AVB creates a scene
Spurs News 24/7Amazing scenes from Andre Villas-Boas. "Bale not for sale".
"Carlo is a person I appreciate a lot and we have great respect for each other, but bearing in mind this situation they have decided to make it public.
"Normally in situations like this it is scrutinised by the Football Association with lots of care and attention. We have seen lots of people speak about a player that is not theirs and we are due some respect.
"These rumours of an imminent transfer are not true. The only thing we have communicated with Real Madrid is that he is our player and he is not for sale.
"Gareth is a guy I really like. We are talking with Real Madrid because there is respect between the two clubs following the transfer last season of Luka Modric.
"We are building a great team for next season. We envisage the future with Gareth. But we know that in football anything is possible."
It's about time we threw a punch and landed one.
It still makes everything doubly confusing if you attempt to read between the lines to grasp an understanding of what is actually going on with this transfer.
He goes silent, refusing to comment on Bale and the transfer talk and now he's on the attack. Something tells me Levy has instructed, green-lighted this to perhaps deflect the one-sided media coverage, to spin it and apply the pressure on the oppressors. The clear message being: Spurs will not be bullied. Coach and chairman working together. A twist on the previous partnership we had the pleasure of experiencing.
You'd expect to see tomorrows back pages displayed as: AVB has breakdown over Bale. 'Spurs coach in crisis following 5-2 Monaco spanking'. But even the red tops wont be able to avoid printing some pro-Spurs content* in the wake of this fresh new statement. We've carefully deflected the story arc. Of course, they might counter again with a new round of 'prisoner Bale'.
*Yeah right. I see no 'breaking news' ticker thus far.
Just to p**s on the parade (sorry, party pooper mode activated), we don't believe Madrid's Marca propaganda, this might just be the Spurs version, so let's not fall into its arms too quickly and faint with its soothing embrace of love.
The point of AVB going on the attack is simply this: We won't bend over for anyone. I like it. Still might not work. Hope it does. 'Not for sale' can also mean: You're going to bid what for Bale? LOL, don't even bother faxing that sh*t through.
Just to be clear, I'm fully in support of Levy/AVB on this. If this is what I think it is. Because again (to party poop) nobody other than Levy/AVB, Bale and his team and Madrid know what is going on behind the scenes. We're all going to hope that what is being said is completely transparent. But this being football, this being about a player supposedly worth £100M, I doubt this is anything any of us truly have a handle on. Until it concludes. Then we can all shout 'told you so', if you backed the right conclusion.
The right conclusion heavily influenced by this tactic. This tactic being, if Madrid are so willing to use the media to pressure us into selling, why not use it to pressure them into paying more...or giving up?
Over to you Madrid.
If they bid a bid that is accepted then I hope some (most) of our fans forgive AVB for this rather defiant Levy approved message.
If a bid is still not accepted, then the only statement that will matter in the aftermath is the one Gareth Bale releases.
