In a witness statement to the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday, Mr Adams said he was "never a member of the IRA or its Army Council" and denied involvement in any bombings in the UK. The former leader of Sinn Fein said the allegations brought against him in a civil claim, that he was responsible for three bombings in Britain during the 1970s and 1990s, were "untrue". Mr Adams, one of Northern Ireland's best-known political figures, has long been accused of having been a member of the Provisional IRA. He has always denied the allegation. The 77-year-old wished the judge a "very happy ⁠St Patrick's Day" as he entered the witness box. "I was never the commanding officer, or OC of the 2nd Battalion of the IRA's Belfast brigade," Mr Adams said. "Indeed, I have never held any rank or role within the IRA, including on the IRA's Army Council. "I have never held a command-and-control role in the IRA, and have never been a senior, let alone most senior figure, in the IRA." The legal case was brought by three people who were injured in three different bombings: one at London's Old Bailey court in 1973, the Provisional IRA's first such attack on the British mainland, and two 1996 blasts, targeting London's Docklands and Manchester. The claimants are seeking a finding on the balance of probabilities ⁠that Mr Adams is personally liable as a senior ​member of the IRA, and are claiming £1 in damages. However, Mr Adams denied any role in the bombings, telling the court: "To be clear, I did not sanction any bombings in Britain in March 1973 - or in any other year." He added: "Sinn Fein is a political party that seeks a whole range of political objectives, including an end to partition and Irish unity. "Throughout my life, opponents of Sinn Fein have repeatedly sought to conflate Sinn Fein with the IRA. As I have always stated, Sinn Fein and the IRA are separate organisations." Sir Max Hill KC, representing the bombing victims, said the Provisional IRA had caused 1,178 deaths, and asked Mr Adams: "The business of the IRA was deadly. We can agree on that, can't we?" Mr Adams replied: "Well, the business of the IRA was to resist armed British occupation and aggression in the part of Ireland that I lived in." He added: "Against them was the British Army; there were a number of armed groups who were deadly." Read more from Sky News:Police appeal to find two teenagers missing for 10 daysMSPs to vote on assisted dying bill for terminally ill adults When asked if he stood by the actions of the IRA, Mr Adams said: "I do not stand by everything that they did, but these were my neighbours". Mr Adams said, though he was retired from front-line politics, he was committed to efforts to "cement the peace process, and to promote Irish unity". "My political work, from the late 1960s until today, is a matter of public record, and widely reported," he said. "I worked with many others over many years to bring the conflict in the north of Ireland to an end." The court case continues.

For this year's Academy Awards, this was my spot - a front-row seat to the stars everyone is talking about. The room holds several hundred reporters and there's an Oscar-worthy buffet in the hallway outside to keep us going all day. All the journalists are hoping to be selected to ask a question. Each winner is limited to answering about three to four and you show interest by holding up numbered cards. It's then up to a moderator to select which reporters get to ask away. But it's not just about questions. It's about witnessing those little moments behind the scenes, the things you don't get to see on TV. There's a buzz in the room that builds and builds as the big winners come in towards the end, with one star in particular eliciting a lot of love from the journalists. Here are the best moments. Jessie Buckley's party plans After making history as the first Irish woman to collect the best actress Oscar, Jessie Buckley was asked what her message is to all her supporters back in Ireland who stayed up overnight to watch her win. "Don't go to bed, keep partying!" she replied. "That's what I'm going to do." After winning not just the Oscar, but also the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Actor Award before it, you would expect nothing less. "I'm so grateful for the support, and I feel the love. Man, I feel it. "I feel it from young people and old people, from women and men, and from my family," Buckley said, adding that she had relatives from New Zealand and Australia as well as Ireland who had flown to LA for the ceremony. "That makes it real," she said. "They're the people who built me. "To share this moment with them and know that back home they are either drunk or staying up - I'm delighted for us all." Standing ovation for Michael B Jordan Buckley got a big cheer, but Michael B Jordan's is even bigger. It takes about 40 seconds for the applause to die down after Jordan is announced as the next winner to be coming into the room. All the journalists are on their feet as he walks in with his Oscar. Winning the award feels "timely", he said, adding that he is here because of black winners before him, such as Denzel Washington and Halle Berry. "Dream big," he said, is his advice for other young creatives. "And be kind, be honest." Being supportive to the next generation is important to him, he added: "So trying to be an example. I'm not a big talker, but I like to think I'm about that action." Cue more applause as he left the room. Making history 'for the ladies in the room and girls at home' Jordan was not the only Sinners star to get a big reaction in the room, with a huge round of applause, too, for cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw. When her name was announced as the winner, she became the first woman ever to win this category in 98 years of the Oscars. "It's tricky because when you go up there you have so much to say, especially after 98 years," she said. "But one thing I was going to say that I had written down was that a lot of little girls that look like me will sleep really well tonight because they'll want to become cinematographers." She said she wanted the award "for all the ladies in the room, and I wanted it for all the girls at home". K-pop Demon Hunters songwriters finish speech after being stage cut-off After being cut off during the acceptance speech for best song, Ejae, singer-songwriter on the KPop Demon Hunters hit Golden, said she wanted to thank fellow singers Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, because they "killed it with their singing and they're just incredible people". After it was noted that there had been some booing when they were cut off on stage, songwriter and composer Mark Sonnenblick said he had wanted to thank his family and "everybody who worked on this movie, all the animators, it was a real collaboration across the board". Awards librarians We had a very rare moment during this year's ceremony - a tie, with The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva sharing the award for best live-action short film. In the 98-year history of the Academy Awards, this had only happened six times before. How did I find this out so quickly? Well, in one corner of the press room, there are Academy Awards librarians who can give you any fact or figure you want to know about the Oscars. So when the tie was announced, cue a queue of reporters trying to find out exactly how rare a feat this is. The last time it happened was in 2012, when Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty were both recognised for sound editing. Oscars bingo The first winner of the night was Amy Madigan, named best supporting actress for her chilling performance in Weapons, and she was quick to note the journalists holding their cards up. "How do you decide who gets to ask a question?" she asked, getting a laugh. "Is it like bingo or something, how does it work?" Asked whether she was prepared for a possible win, she said she knew it was a special day as she had shaved her legs especially.

41% of voters think the prime minister has responded badly to the US's actions against Tehran, versus 37% well. However, 59% of people who voted for Labour in 2024 think Sir Keir is handling the crisis well. And voters for all parties believe the government should be doing more across the board to help all households with energy bills. 84% of voters, meanwhile, think action should be taken to reduce energy prices for all households. That's actually higher than the 73% who think action should be taken to support the least well-off households. Significantly more Conservative and Reform UK voters, as well as slightly more Labour voters, think action should be taken for all households to help with energy prices than think the poorest households should get support. The figures are based on who respondents said they voted for in the 2024 general election. They suggest that if energy prices do rise significantly in the months ahead as a result of the war, the government will come under pressure to step in. Sir Keir announced £53m of support on Monday for the poorest households who use heating oil to warm their homes. Unlike homes connected to the gas grid, heating oil isn't covered by the energy price cap, which currently sets prices until the end of June. Heating oil prices have more than doubled since the start of the conflict in the Middle East. Meanwhile, three quarters (75%) think the government should take action to reduce energy prices for businesses. They are also not covered by the price cap - although often sign fixed price contracts, so may not see an immediate increase in costs. Voters strongly oppose UK joining Iran war 70% of voters oppose the UK joining the US's military offensive against Iran, against only 17% who support. That may bring some relief to Sir Keir, who has resisted Donald Trump's attempts to draw the UK further into the war. Those polled also think Mr Trump was wrong to take military action against Iran at all. 57% think the US president was wrong, and only 18% think he was right. Only 11% think the US's actions against Iran will leave the world a safer place - while 34% think it will leave the world less safe, and 37% think it would make little real difference.

Hamilton and Leclerc demonstrated the best of F1's new regulations with several overtakes and re-overtakes around the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, having also got close in Saturday's Sprint too. The pair remarkably only made minor contact once, or a "kiss" according to Hamilton, who came out on top to claim his first podium as a Ferrari driver. F1 2026 Schedule | F1 2026 Standings | F1 Gossip ColumnDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 "It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth, and you could really position your car in a nice way where there was a thin piece of paper between us sometimes," said Hamilton. "But we didn't exchange any paint. I think that's down to great drivers and respect." George Russell had a front row seat for much of the battle, before finding a way past the Ferrari duo, and was amazed by how hard the racing was. "I was just waiting for the two of them to collide and somehow they didn't. It was some of the most aggressive racing I've seen for a while," he said. "If I wasn't trying to win the race, I'd have been enjoying the battle, but obviously watching Kimi [Antonelli] pull away during those points it was a little bit annoying." Villeneuve questions if Ferrari fighting will cost them vs Mercedes It was Leclerc who started the on-track battling on Sunday just before half distance of the 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix with both Ferraris in podium positions and Russell in fourth. Although the Ferrari fight was exciting, the pair were not driving in an optimal way and Russell was able to get by when he had appeared stuck. Sky Sports F1's Jacques Villeneuve thinks Hamilton and Leclerc both want to be "the man" at Ferrari, even if it means losing time to their rivals by battling. "Lewis is feisty and fighting. He was quite cool, minding his own business, not letting Antonelli get away too far," said the 1997 F1 world champion "But then Leclerc decided not to play the team game and played the Leclerc game, caught him by surprise, but he should have seen it coming. The same thing happened in the Sprint. "It turned out OK but it was a little bit extreme and destroyed Ferrari's race. They were running second and third, fighting so hard, destroying their tyres. "At some point, if you keep taking lap time away from each other, it allows Mercedes to get away and they are not that far from Mercedes with a car that can race. Mercedes should worry a little bit about Ferrari coming back because they are not that far behind in points." Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur says he "trusts" his drivers and it would have been "unfair" to call the battle off. "I have a huge respect for both of them. They are professional and I think it makes sense in this situation to let them race," he said. "I know perfectly that it can also look completely stupid half an hour later, but at the end of the day I think it's also the best way to build up a team. We need to have this kind of emulation into the team to improve. "As long as it's done like it was done in China, even a couple of times in the radio they told us that they had good fun, I don't want to freeze the position." Will Ferrari have problem of two evenly matches drivers? Last year, Leclerc was clearly quicker than Hamilton for much of the season so Ferrari rarely had the problem of their drivers scrapping for the same piece of track. The opening two races this year have shown Leclerc and Hamilton are much more evenly matched, so the team may need to step in if the drivers go over the limit, or face the awkwardness of a collision - something F1 history shows is an inevitability when team-mates are regularly fighting. There was perhaps more eagerness in China between the Ferrari pair to be ahead of one another knowing there was a high chance of a Safety Car. Earlier in the race, Leclerc had to stack behind Hamilton in the pit stops when most drivers pitted after Lance Stroll caused a Safety Car when he came to a halt. The increased unreliability of the 2026 cars means drivers may suddenly pull over to the side of the track, therefore increasing the possibility of a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car, where drivers may get a cheaper pit stop. At the Miami Grand Prix, on one of the few occasions last year when the Ferraris were battling, the team were slow to deploy team orders when Hamilton appeared faster and was stuck behind Leclerc. The British driver stated "have a tea break while you're at it" on the team radio during one of the heated exchanges with his engineer Riccardo Adami. But, Hamilton has appeared to be much happier with his new race engineer Carlo Santi, who has been appointed on an interim basis. "I think I came into the season with the confidence that I used to have, and I think I've stuck at it," said Hamilton. "It's the hardest thing just to get a podium compared to a lot through my career and it was the biggest challenge to get that, and I just had to bide my time. I think coming into the season I really cultivated that really positive mental attitude and I'm taking that forward with me." If Hamilton continues his strong start to 2026, he will be confident of a spectacular first victory in red. However, a fast Hamilton will give Ferrari a headache, albeit a nice one, as their two drivers will surely end up battling more - but it cannot be to the detriment of losing out to Mercedes. Formula 1 next heads to the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix on March 27-29 live on Sky Sports F1. 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Sinners followed in second place, with four wins, then Frankenstein with three, but of course, the Oscars are about more than just numbers. Here are our stand-out moments for 2026. Timmy, Leo and Ted get roasted Second-time host Conan O'Brien did not hold back in his opening monologue. Taking a swipe at Timothee Chalamet's recent comment that "nobody cares" about opera and ballet, he joked: "I should tell you, security is tight tonight, I'm told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities." O'Brien added, "They're just mad you left out jazz". A close-up of the audience showed a laughing Chalamet, sitting next to his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, who was wearing a sparkling red gown with a plunging neckline. Leonardo DiCaprio got similar treatment, as O'Brien took a moment to restock the actor's already plentiful supply of memes, asking him to portray "The feeling when you didn't agree to this". A bemused DiCaprio gestured with his hands as he looked to the camera. Cutting away, O'Brien said: "We'll sort it in the edit". The streamers came in for some harsh words, too. Zoning in on Netflix boss Ted Sarandos, who nearly bought Warner Bros earlier this year, O'Brien joked: "It's the first time he's in a theatre". He added that Sarandos was thinking, "What are they all doing, enjoying themselves? They should be home where I can monetise it!" O'Brien also lamented the lack of nominees for Amazon MGM: "Why isn't the website I order toilet paper from winning more Oscars?" A real Hollywood power couple While Chalamet and Jenner have been together for around three years - which some would say is a long time in Hollywood - the real props have to go to Hollywood power couple Amy Madigan and Ed Harris. Exactly 40 years after she was nominated for her first Oscar for the 1985 film Twice In A Lifetime, Madigan finally won her first Oscar, bagging best supporting actress for her stellar turn as creepy Aunt Gladys in Weapons. It's the record for the longest time between first nomination and first win. The 75-year-old star, who admitted to being "flummoxed" and "overwhelmed", paid tribute to her husband of over 40 years. She said of all her thanks: "The most important is my beloved Ed, who's been with me forever, and that's a long-ass time, and none of this would mean anything if he wasn't by my side." All about the music (and the ballet) The ceremony featured two live performances from two of the biggest movies of the night. First, an atmospheric rendition of I Lied To You, led by Sinners star Miles Caton, with musicians and actors filling both the stage and auditorium, mirroring the iconic scene from the film. Ballerina Misty Copeland - who has recently been in the headlines countering Chalamet's remarks about ballet and opera - was featured in the song's finale, twirling across the stage in red, and very much proving the point that ballet is far from dead. The second song of the night was Golden, from Netflix mega hit KPop Demon Hunters. Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami performed in white, flanked by a stage full of dancers with golden flags. Meanwhile, the audience waved small lamp-like lights in the darkened auditorium, with close-ups on stars including director Steven Spielberg and One Battle star Teyana Taylor bopping away. The movie went on to win best original song and best animated feature film, but despite its success, some fans felt the team behind the hit had been cheated after they had their speeches cut off not once but twice, with the play-off music abruptly ending both acceptance speeches. In other musical news, Oscar's music director Michael Bearden and his orchestra premiered the Timothee Chalamet "bum drum" - a bare mannequin bottom and two ping-pong paddles which were used several times throughout the night, referencing a scene in the film where Chalamet's character, Marty Supreme, is spanked with a paddle. It's a tie! The best live action short film provided some unexpected drama after the category was won by not one but two films - People Exchanging Saliva and The Singers. It is the first time since 2013 that there have been tied winners, when Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty shared the sound editing award. There have been five other ties in Oscars history, making this tie the seventh. "Thank you to the Academy for supporting a movie that is weird, that is queer, and made by a majority of women!" said Natalie Musteata of Two People Exchanging Saliva. Director Sam A Davis of Singers called his short a "simple story about the power of music and art to bring us together in a moment when we live in an increasingly isolated world". After the winners left the stage, host O'Brien congratulated them and said, "You just ruined 22 million Oscar pools". Extended In Memoriam Looking back on a year where the industry said goodbye to so many of its own, there was an extended In Memoriam section. Billy Crystal opened the segment honouring his best friend, Rob Reiner, who was found dead with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in their home in December. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with the deaths of his parents and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. A host of actors with longstanding ties to Reiner, including Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Fred Savage, Demi Moore, John Cusack, and Ione Skye, appeared on the stage, with Crystal rounding off his tribute by saying, "Buddy, what fun we had storming the castle". Rachel McAdams paid tribute to Diane Keaton, the star of films including Annie Hall, who died in October. McAdams said the actress "she wore so many hats literally and figuratively", calling her "a legend with no end". An emotional Barbara Streisand sang The Way We Were, the title tune of the film she starred in with Robert Redford in 1973, paying tribute to the late actor-director who died in September, praising him as a man with "real backbone on and off the screen". Tribute was also paid to stars including British playwright Tom Stoppard, Superman star Terrance Stamp and Home Alone actress Catherine O'Hara. Politics makes its way in Host O'Brien alluded to the "chaotic and frightening times" at the top of the show, while celebrating "optimism" and the "hope of better". Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who was presenting the award for best international film, said as soon as he reached the microphone: "No to war and free Palestine." Accepting the award, Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier quoted James Baldwin, saying: "All adults are responsible for all children," he said. "Let's not vote for politicians that don't take this seriously into account." Director Paul Thomas Anderson referenced "the mess that we left in this world". While presenter Jimmy Kimmel, who was briefly taken off-air last year, said, "There are some countries that don't support free speech," said Kimmel. "I'm not at liberty to say which. Let's just leave it at North Korea and CBS." Announcing the winners of documentary short and documentary feature, Kimmel also appeared to make a dig at the US president, whose wife, Melania's own documentary was recently released, saying, "Oh man, is he gonna be mad his wife wasn't nominated for this". History is made - twice Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win best cinematographer, for her role on Ryan Coogler's vampire horror Sinners. Arkapaw, who was the first woman of colour to be nominated in the category, asked all the women in the Dolby Theatre to stand, saying, "I feel like I don't get to be here without you guys… I have gotten so much love from women throughout this whole campaign, and things like this don't happen without you guys". Meanwhile, Jessie Buckley made history as the first Irish woman to win best actress, for her role as William Shakespeare's wife Agnes in Hamlet. Giving an emotional speech, Buckley dedicated her prize to "the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart", revealing the name of her eight-month-old daughter, Isla, who she said was probably asleep and unaware and "dreaming of milk". She told her husband Freddie Sorensen, "I want to have 20,000 more babies with you", and thanked director Chloe Zhao and writer Maggie O'Farrell for "letting me know this incandescent woman and journey to understand the capacity of a mother's love". All in all, a triumph on what Mother's Day is here in the UK. For all those who came before In possibly the most closely fought race of the night, a visibly stunned Michael B Jordan took best actor for his dual role in Sinners. Accepting his award, Jordan thanked his family for their support, saying, "God is good, and Mamma, what's up? Pop where you at? My dad flew over from Ghana to be here, and my sisters and my brothers". He went on to say: "I stand here because of the people that came before me - Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith". Jordan is the sixth black man to win the best actor trophy. He added, "I know you guys wanted me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me, so thank you for keeping betting on me. I'm going to keep stepping up, and I'm going to keep being the best version of myself I can be." Bridesmaids, Baby Yoda, Anna Wintour and Lionel Richie There were plenty of unexpected presenter appearances to keep the audience on their toes. Bridesmaids stars Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Ellie Kemper reunited after 15 years to present best score and best original sound. Lionel Richie was back on the Oscar stage 40 years after winning an Oscar for Say You, Say Me, to present best song. Former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour proved her comedy chops, teaming up with Devil Wears Prada star Anne Hathaway to present best costume, ignoring Hathaway's question about her dress and later calling her "Emily". And in perhaps the most unexpected appearance of the night, when Alien star Sigourney Weaver presented best production design alongside Pedro Pascal, Baby Yoda rocked up in the audience, sat next to Kate Hudson. Giving Weaver the chance to reenact her famous line, "Get away from him, you bitch", the 76-year-old followed it up by pointing to Hudson and signalling, "I'm watching you". Later in the evening, O'Brien castigated Baby Yoda for not being able to clap, urging, "Try to clap Grogu, try", before adding, "What a cruel thing to do, to bring a creature who can't clap to an award show", as the camera zoomed in on the furry little fellow unable to reach his tiny hands together. Cheeky Gwyneth! And while Gwyneth Paltrow was not up for an award, she didn't disappoint in the fashion department. Paltrow was part of the team presenting the first-ever best casting award. From the front, her elegant Georgio Armani gown looked tame - almost bridal - but a side glance of the ivory silk dress revealed fully cutout sides. Although Paltrow wore sparkly, nude tulle trousers underneath, the resulting look revealed plenty of skin, earning plenty of second looks on the red carpet, 27 years on from her best actress win.

Ms Reeves will deliver the annual Mais lecture today, where she will declare regional investment and AI as being similarly vital for getting the economy growing. "In this changing world, Britain is not powerless," she will say. "We can shape our own future. Our method is stability, investment, and reform - through an active and strategic state. "Today, I am making three big choices on the greatest growth opportunities for Britain in the decade to come: growth in every part of Britain, AI and innovation, and a deeper relationship with the EU." But the Conservatives have said it's her economic policies, not the departure from the EU that they oversaw, that's caused the economy to stagnate. Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride accused the chancellor and prime minister of wanting "to row back on Brexit". "Labour are desperate to blame anyone but themselves for their economic failures," he added. "Under increasing pressure, having mismanaged the economy, Reeves would rather point the finger at Brexit than accept their poor choices have been a disaster for our economy." Ms Reeves's lecture comes following anaemic growth figures. The economy didn't grow at all in January, and only by 0.2% in the three months prior. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded its growth forecast for 2026 a fortnight ago - although it is forecast to grow slightly quicker than previously expected in 2027 and 2028. Ministers are also grappling with the economic consequences of the Iran war, which threatens to push up energy prices and inflation if the conflict continues for much longer. Ms Reeves has regularly spoken about the need for closer ties with the EU. She discussed the prospect with Ireland's finance minister, Simon Harris, on Monday. But on AI, the chancellor will say the UK must "chart our own course". Reeves: We face a choice on AI "AI is the defining technology of our era," Ms Reeves will say. "The choice is this: we can bury our heads in the sand and leave it to other countries - whose values may differ from ours - to shape and own this technology. "We can leave it to the market alone, and let the balance of risk and reward be determined by a super-wealthy few. Or we can chart our own course." She wants the UK to achieve the fastest adoption of AI in the G7 group of wealthy nations. The chancellor will commit £500m to back the most promising AI companies in the UK - plus a £1bn investment in commercial-scale quantum computers. Read more: What's up with quantum computers? The annual Mais lecture is the City of London's foremost banking and finance event, hosted by City St George's University. Ms Reeves previously gave the lecture while shadow chancellor in 2024, while other recent speakers have included Rishi Sunak, George Osbourne, Mark Carney, and Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The Netherlands international was suspended as Spurs picked up their first point under Igor Tudor with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday, which leaves them just one point clear of 18th-placed West Ham. Spurs now turn their attentions back to the Champions League as they face the seemingly insurmountable task of overturning a three-goal deficit after their 5-2 first-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid in the last-16 tie. Speaking ahead of the game, Van de Ven took issue with the notion he and his team-mates had already switched off. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Tottenham news & transfers⚪Spurs fixtures & scores | FREE highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Tottenham games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 "Of course I've seen things [written]," Van de Ven stated. "Reporters just say things sometimes and it's like 'how did you come up with this?' Like, the players have switched off. It's not true. "They say players are going to leave either way. It's just nonsense and it's only a problem when people start believing it. It's just the biggest nonsense. "Sometimes we read things by ourselves and are like 'what is this?' The other day we read something about one guy who is going to leave and doesn't care what happens. We are just reading this like 'how did this come out?' "It brings so much more trouble because fans are starting to believe this. "All the people involved care so much about the situation we're in. That's the most important thing right now. Then if some reports come out saying that guys don't care anymore, it's just frustrating for our guys. "For me it's frustrating because people start thinking about me in a different way. I just want to stay fit and turn things around. I know the last games haven't been my best. The most important thing is that I give 100 per cent to this club." 'The players really care' insists Tudor While Sunday's draw at Anfield may have given Tudor his first point as Tottenham head coach, he is still in search of his first win in charge. With Van de Ven insinuating the visit of Atletico was a free hit given Spurs' position in the tie, Tudor is hopeful the performance against Liverpool could lead to more confidence ahead of a must-win bottom-of-the-table clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, live on Sky Sports. "Of course, it's important," the former Juventus and Croatia centre-back said. "When you have one good performance, it gives confidence to everyone. It confirms the good will. "The players really care. At the moment it is so difficult. I believe one good moment happened last game. We have to be honest with what we can give on the pitch. I am happy for everyone and now we have to continue." Actions speak louder than Van de Ven's Words Analysis from Sky Sports' Callum Bishop: It's very easy to come out and speak with fire and passion straight after the first time that same energy has been displayed for all to see on the pitch in months. With or without Van de Ven, what fans saw from Tottenham against Liverpool was a spirit that arguably hasn't been seen since the comeback draw against Manchester City at the beginning of February. Ironically, that was the last domestic game Spurs hadn't lost before the trip to Anfield. It's not to say that Van de Ven's comments about his team-mates' attitude to the current predicament are wrong. They are probably affected by it. But as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. The level of performances before Liverpool were what created the impression that there is a sense of entitlement around some of the players. When Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, two of the most important figures in Igor Tudor's team, are getting sent off during moments where they are needed, it could be taken in a couple of ways. One is that they are showing fight and it has spilled over. The other is that they are showing petulance and shirking some of the responsibility because they are now unavailable for the next game. After all, availability is the best ability. While injuries cannot be helped, actions like this are what lead people to question how much certain players care.