Latest news with #Hunted
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Micky van de Ven ready to prove doubters wrong as he makes Europa final vow
The Premier League's fastest ever player Micky van de Ven is used to silencing critics having been told as a teenager that he was too slow to become a professional footballer When Micky van de Ven was coming through at Volendam, the Dutch club's coach said he was too slow to become a pro. Then he became the fastest Premier League player on record. When Van de Ven joined Spurs in the summer of 2023 he was told to wave goodbye to dreams of winning silverware. Now he is one step from delivering the club's first trophy since 2008 – and again proving the naysayers wrong. Doubts and criticism have been fueling the Netherlands international's turbo engine since his mid-teens and he admits: 'I still use them now. At Volendam there were people who didn't have the trust in me and now I am standing here. I think I proved them wrong. 'But to be honest it was my dad, my mum and my sister who were the ones who kept pushing me.' Dad Marcel was an undercover agent for a serious crimes unit who has more recently appeared on a reality TV show, Hunted, in which he tracks down contestants who have gone on the run. And the calm, analytical mind required to crack cases have been passed down a generation. Being unflustered is imperative in Ange Postecoglou's daring system and Van de Ven has built a relationship with Cristian Romero that he describes as 'an unbelievable connection.' He adds: 'We just feel each other in the game. If he does something, I know how I need to cover him, how I can help him. On the other side it's the same — when I have the ball, he knows how to cover me. He knows how to help in every situation. "That is just the feeling we have grown into each other.' An Ajax fan, Van de Ven was in the Amsterdam crowd that saw Spurs stage the most dramatic of comebacks to reach the 2019 Champions League final – only for Liverpool to win another all-English decider. He understands how Tottenham 's history looms large but is utterly convinced that this group can change the culture and direction – in spite of the barbs from 'banter people' and social media drones. 'Everybody knows that when you join Tottenham, you get the words of 'Ah, you're not going to win a trophy', that you will be trophyless the rest of your career,' he adds. 'But all the guys that came up here were like, 'We're going to change something about this club.' 'It was the gaffer and it was the whole squad who said, 'We're going to come here and change something.' For us, it's the job now to make this happen in Bilbao. We all know we play for a big club. This club deserves trophies. That's the truth. 'If you look at the quality in the squad, we deserve a trophy. It has been a tough season but we can end this perfectly by winning a prize.'
Scottish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
My dad is a former undercover agent and TV star who'll be cheering me on in Europa League final, says Tottenham star
YOU'RE MICKED My dad is a former undercover agent and TV star who'll be cheering me on in Europa League final, says Tottenham star Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MICKY VAN DE VEN is out to crack the case of Tottenham's trophy drought — with the support of his detective dad. The Dutch defender will have his old man watching him in Bilbao as Spurs look to end 17 years without silverware by beating Manchester United in tomorrow's Europa League final. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Micky van de Ven is out to end Tottenham's trophy drought Credit: PA 4 Van De Ven's dad Marcel is former detective and TV star in the Netherlands Credit: Twitter @ESPNUK 4 The Dutchman was written off as a teenager at Volendam Credit: Getty Marcel van de Ven is a former undercover agent who later became famous on the Dutch version of TV show Hunted. Despite Van de Ven Sr's busy schedule fighting crime, somehow he still had time to go to all of his son's matches right from youth level. Micky, 24, said: "Every game he was there, even when I was younger. You have to ask him how he managed that! "Midweek, most of the time he was gone because he had a job to do and couldn't tell us everything about it. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL GAME OF THROW-INS How Gary's BBC exit will spark rivalry between MOTD hosts for World Cup "But at the weekend when we had to play, the most important part, he was always there. "Literally until today, he's everywhere. Every home game, every away game, he wants to be everywhere. He always tries to be there. "It was my dad, my mum and my sister who were the ones who kept pushing me. "Because even when you're younger, every year you get a new gaffer. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "Then the people around you are the ones you are close with. "Even now, these days after a game they help me. They're like, 'You could do this better or that better', they are still the people who help me." How Europa League final will be decided - four key Man Utd vs Tottenham tactical battles Marcel may have always backed his son's foray into football but Micky was not always so well supported by the professionals overseeing his development. In fact, there was a feeling at his first club Volendam that a teenage Van de Ven did not have the ability to make it as a footballer. It was only when former Sheffield Wednesday star Wim Jonk became his manager at the second-tier Dutch club that the young defender got his big break, which led him to Wolfsburg in 2021 then on to Spurs in the summer of 2023. And Van de Ven, also a Netherlands international, still uses being written off in his teens as motivation to succeed today. On those that believed he would not make the grade, he added: "That's crazy. "At Volendam there were people who didn't have the trust in me and now I am standing here. I proved them wrong." We have all been standing behind Ange since day one, since he joined here. Micky van de Ven Van de Ven's Spurs defensive partner Cristian Romero also once revealed he was so miserable at his own first club Belgrano back in Argentina that he considered quitting the game. Romero, nicknamed Cuti, went on to win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 alongside the iconic Lionel Messi. Tottenham ace Van de Ven continued: "There are a lot of players in their careers who get doubts from multiple people. "It depends a bit on how late in your career you are getting doubts, of course. "I was getting doubts when I was 17, 18 years old. "Then you might have to think about something different. Then it's all down to yourself and the people around you to keep pushing. "That's what Cuti probably did and that's what I did, and now we are both standing here. "And Cuti won a World Cup. I am now in a European final. It's a beautiful thing." 4 Coaches at Volendam told van de Ven he wouldn't make the grade Credit: Getty Now Van de Ven is determined to change Tottenham's trophyless 'Spursy' tag with victory over the Red Devils. He said: "It would be a big thing, of course. "Everybody knows that when you join Tottenham you get, 'Ah, you're not going to win a trophy', people saying you will be trophyless for the rest of your career. "All the guys that came up here were like, 'We're going to change something about this club'. "It was the gaffer and it was the whole squad who said, 'We're going to come here and change something'. "For us, it's the job now to make this happen in Bilbao." Van de Ven could come up against his compatriot Matthijs De Ligt, 25, in Bilbao — provided the United centre-back is fit to play. De Ligt may only be a year older yet he is a hero to Van de Ven, who used to watch him play for Ajax as a supporter in the stands when both were teenagers. Ironically, it was Tottenham's unforgettable comeback win against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-final — when Lucas Moura scored a second-half hat-trick and Spurs won on away goals — that stands out most in his memory. Van de Ven explained: "The first thing that pops up in my head is the game against Tottenham. "I was in the stadium. He was playing that game. "These games I can remember are more from the Champions League when Ajax went to the semi-final. He was playing unbelievable. "When you're a young kid, you're looking up at him — captain at 18 years old, doing an unbelievable job. Then you think, 'I want to be like him'." Spurs have had an awful league campaign, with a record 21 defeats. Even if they beat United, boss Ange Postecoglou is expected to leave the club. Yet Van de Ven reckons the Aussie has proved his worth by taking the club to just its second European final in 41 years. He added: "We have all been standing behind the gaffer since day one, since he joined here. "He showed his quality, he brought us to a European final. "Of course, he's getting a lot of doubt from the media and we see these things. "But I think he proved all you guys wrong and we're standing in a European final, so hopefully we can lift the trophy. Not only for us but also for him."
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
My dad is a former undercover agent and TV star who'll be cheering me on in Europa League final, says Tottenham star
MICKY VAN DE VEN is out to crack the case of Tottenham's trophy drought — with the support of his detective dad. The Dutch defender will have his old man watching him in Bilbao as Spurs look to end 17 years without silverware by beating Manchester United in tomorrow's Advertisement 4 Micky van de Ven is out to end Tottenham's trophy drought Credit: PA 4 Van De Ven's dad Marcel is former detective and TV star in the Netherlands Credit: Twitter @ESPNUK 4 The Dutchman was written off as a teenager at Volendam Credit: Getty Marcel van de Ven is a former undercover agent who later became famous on the Dutch version of TV show Hunted. Despite Micky, 24, said: "Every game he was there, even when I was younger. You have to ask him how he managed that! "Midweek, most of the time he was gone because he had a job to do and couldn't tell us everything about it. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL "But at the weekend when we had to play, the most important part, he was always there. "Literally until today, he's everywhere. Every home game, every away game, he wants to be everywhere. He always tries to be there. "It was my dad, my mum and my sister who were the ones who kept pushing me. "Because even when you're younger, every year you get a new gaffer. Advertisement Most read in Football Exclusive BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "Then the people around you are the ones you are close with. "Even now, these days after a game they help me. They're like, 'You could do this better or that better', they are still the people who help me." How Europa League final will be decided - four key Man Utd vs Tottenham tactical battles Marcel may have always backed his son's foray into football but Micky was not always so well supported by the professionals overseeing his development. Advertisement In fact, there was a feeling at his first club Volendam that a teenage Van de Ven did not have the ability to make it as a footballer. It was only when former And Van de Ven, also a Netherlands international, still uses being written off in his teens as motivation to succeed today. On those that believed he would not make the grade, he added: "That's crazy. Advertisement "At Volendam there were people who didn't have the trust in me and now I am standing here. I proved them wrong." We have all been standing behind Ange since day one, since he joined here. Micky van de Ven Van de Ven's Spurs defensive partner Romero, nicknamed Cuti, went on to win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 alongside the iconic Lionel Messi. Tottenham ace Van de Ven continued: "There are a lot of players in their careers who get doubts from multiple people. Advertisement "It depends a bit on how late in your career you are getting doubts, of course. "I was getting doubts when I was 17, 18 years old. "Then you might have to think about something different. Then it's all down to yourself and the people around you to keep pushing. "That's what Cuti probably did and that's what I did, and now we are both standing here. Advertisement "And Cuti won a World Cup. I am now in a European final. It's a beautiful thing." 4 Coaches at Volendam told van de Ven he wouldn't make the grade Credit: Getty Now Van de Ven is determined to change He said: "It would be a big thing, of course. Advertisement "Everybody knows that when you join Tottenham you get, 'Ah, you're not going to win a trophy', people saying you will be trophyless for the rest of your career. "All the guys that came up here were like, 'We're going to change something about this club'. "It was the gaffer and it was the whole squad who said, 'We're going to come here and change something'. "For us, it's the job now to make this happen in Bilbao." Advertisement Van de Ven could come up against his compatriot De Ligt may only be a year older yet he is a hero to Van de Ven, who used to watch him play for Ironically, it was Tottenham's unforgettable comeback win against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-final — Van de Ven explained: "The first thing that pops up in my head is the game against Tottenham. Advertisement "I was in the stadium. He was playing that game. "These games I can remember are more from the Champions League when Ajax went to the semi-final. He was playing unbelievable. "When you're a young kid, you're looking up at him — captain at 18 years old, doing an unbelievable job. Then you think, 'I want to be like him'." Spurs have had an awful league campaign, with a record 21 defeats. Advertisement Even if they beat United, boss Yet Van de Ven reckons the Aussie has proved his worth by taking the club to just its second European final in 41 years. He added: "We have all been standing behind the gaffer since day one, since he joined here. "He showed his quality, he brought us to a European final. Advertisement "Of course, he's getting a lot of doubt from the media and we see these things. "But I think he proved all you guys wrong and we're standing in a European final, so hopefully we can lift the trophy. Not only for us but also for him."
The National
07-05-2025
- The National
Former British sniper-turned-cyber expert on how to shoot down online scams
A British military sniper turned cybersecurity expert said it was crucial people became their own 'digital spy' to fight back against scammers. Ben Owen said it was important not to be paranoid about digital footprints but you should be aware of what's on the web about you – including social media accounts – because 'that's what a hacker would do' and they are good at joining the dots. At the Gisec Global conference in Dubai on Tuesday, Mr Owen also said it was crucial not to forget that hacking was often a person-to-person practice and people needed to take a 'tactical pause' before responding to suspicious messages. 'If you find … a MySpace account that you haven't used for 15 years, get rid of it,' Mr Owen told The National. 'Deactivate it because hackers still want to get into that,' he said. 'If you need it, lock it down. If you don't need it, get rid of it.' Mr Owen is known for his role on the UK TV show Hunted, where citizen fugitives trying to evade their investigators and reach a safe extraction point. He served in the military during the 2003 Gulf War, before joining military intelligence Since then he has become a renowned cybersecurity expert and cofounded The Osint Group, a company that provides training in that sphere. 'The elements of a hack have to have three key ingredients,' Mr Owen said. 'Believability, leveraging emotion and the right time.' He pointed to the surge in scammers who check photographs that holiday-makers post to social media who even hashtag the nightclubs. The scammers then try to locate parents back at home to target them, looking for money or something else. 'They send the WhatsApp [message] at 2am. They'll leverage emotion because mum's now scared and it's believable because her daughter is on holiday,' he said, stating about one in 10 will fall for such a ploy. 'And mums almost anticipate when the kid goes on holiday … something is going to happen. So, in the back of their minds, oh God, it's now happened.' He said there was a lot of jargon surrounding the area but it is ultimately a person hacking a person and can be confronted. 'We don't want to live in fear and be paranoid for the rest of our lives because that's not healthy for anyone,' he said. 'But what we always recommend – just a simple thing – is just taking a tactical pause before you interact with anything digital.' This could be a voice note from a daughter, an email from your husband who is on a business trip or a direct message from a fellow worker. 'Does this person normally ask it? Is this out of character? If there's a slight doubt in your gut, just validate – ring the person.' 'Don't be inherently paranoid. Take a tactical pause – assess it [and take a] deep breath.' Mr Owen also outlined the huge digital footprint left by people every day, from using open Wi-Fi to leaving online restaurant reviews. He explained how hackers can build a huge picture of likely victims within minutes from this data before even trying to scam them through what they perceive to be the line of least resistance. And he cautioned that people could be leaving themselves exposed by leaving such online reviews. 'You have to be selfish sometimes to enhance your security. Is that going to benefit you? It's not. Therefore, I wouldn't do it.' It has been quite a journey for Mr Owen, from assessing threats on the battlefield to the online world. What about large-scale cyber attacks? Blackouts affected the Iberian Peninsula last week. The cause is still under investigation but Mr Owen, speaking generally, said he expected cyberattacks on power grids and important infrastructure to take place more frequently in the future because of the financial impact on governments. But a point he returns to repeatedly is that hacking is frequently person-to-person attacks rather than complex scenarios with employees targeted directly, because this is a vulnerable link in the armour. 'Energy companies … have a lot of assistance,' he said. 'They can have the best tools and software and firewalls and filters.' But he said there was a lack of awareness that hackers will try to contact employees to access their personal world, get their passwords and then enter the corporate system. 'That is the route in for hackers and that will continue to be the route. I don't think it's looked at enough.' He gave the example of a UAE bank with more than 10,000 employees – many with online profiles – that could be targeted. 'You can guarantee 20 per cent of them would be hackable, easily hackable,' he said. 'People always forget to talk about the people that work there because it's a grey area, and people don't want to address it. One of the main reasons for that, I think, as a business doesn't want to come across as oppressive.' But he said it was important that companies made people aware by using personal examples and making it relatable to their families. Gisec runs until Thursday and artificial intelligence was one of the dominant themes across the floors of the World Trade Centre. Mr Owen said it was making hacking potentially more accessible in terms of coding. And it could be used to develop photos, aliases and make it easier to mimic someone. But humans still had a crucial role. 'It doesn't matter how good your AI is. You still need a human to scour over that data because one piece of AI software won't fit every single business.'
The National
07-05-2025
- The National
Former British sniper turned cyber expert on how to shoot down online scams
A British military sniper turned cybersecurity expert said it was crucial people became their own 'digital spy' to fight back against scammers. Ben Owen said it was important not to be paranoid about digital footprints but you should be aware of what's on the web about you – including social media accounts – because 'that's what a hacker would do' and they are good at joining the dots. Speaking on the sidelines of the GISEC Global conference in Dubai on Tuesday, Mr Owen also said it was crucial not to forget that hacking was often a person-to-person practice and people needed to take a 'tactical pause' before responding to suspicious messages. 'If you find … a MySpace account that you haven't used for 15 years, get rid of it,' Mr Owen told The National. 'Deactivate it because hackers still want to get into that,' he said. 'If you need it, lock it down. If you don't need it, get rid of it.' Mr Owen is known for his role on the UK TV show Hunted, where citizen fugitives trying to evade their investigators and reach a safe extraction point. He served in the military during the 2003 Gulf War, before joining military intelligence Since then he has become a renowned cybersecurity expert and cofounded The Osint Group, a company that provides training in that sphere. 'The elements of a hack have to have three key ingredients,' Mr Owen said. 'Believability, leveraging emotion and the right time.' He pointed to the surge in scammers who check photographs that holiday-makers post to social media who even hashtag the nightclubs. The scammers then try to locate parents back at home to target them looking for money or something else. 'They send the WhatsApp (message) at 2am. They'll leverage emotion because mum's now scared and it's believable because her daughter is on holiday,' he said, stating about one in 10 will fall for such a ploy. 'And mums almost anticipate when the kid goes on holiday … something is going to happen. So, in the back of their minds, oh God, it's now happened.' He said there was a lot of jargon surrounding the area but it is ultimately a person hacking a person and can be confronted. 'We don't want to live in fear and be paranoid for the rest of our lives because that's not healthy for anyone,' he said. 'But what we always recommend – just a simple thing – is just taking a tactical pause before you interact with anything digital.' This could be a voice note from a daughter, an email from your husband who is on a business trip or a direct message from a fellow worker. 'Does this person normally ask it? Is this out of character? If there's a slight doubt in your gut, just validate – ring the person.' 'Don't be inherently paranoid. Take a tactical pause – assess it [and take a] deep breath.' Mr Owen also outlined the huge digital footprint left by people every day from using open Wi-Fi to leaving online restaurant reviews. He explained how hackers can build a huge picture of likely victims within minutes from this data before even trying to scam them through what they perceive to be the line of least resistance. And he cautioned that people could be leaving themselves exposed by leaving such online reviews. 'You have to be selfish sometimes to enhance your security. Is that going to benefit you? It's not. Therefore I wouldn't do it.' It has been quite a journey for Mr Owen, from assessing threats on the battlefield to the online world. What about large scale cyberattacks? Blackouts affected the Iberian Peninsula last week. The cause is still under investigation but Mr Owen, speaking generally, said he expected cyberattacks on power grids and important infrastructure to take place more frequently in the future because of the financial impact on governments. But a point he returns to repeatedly is that hacking is frequently person-to-person attacks rather than complex scenarios with employees targeted directly because this is a vulnerable link in the armour. 'Energy companies … have a lot of assistance,' he said. 'They can have the best tools and software and firewalls and filters.' But he said there was a lack of awareness that hackers will try to contact employees to access to their personal world, get their passwords and then enter the corporate system. 'That is the route in for hackers and that will continue to be the route. I don't think it's looked at enough.' He gave the example of UAE bank with more than 10,000 employees – many with online profiles – that could be targeted. 'You can guarantee 20 per cent of them would be hackable, easily hackable,' he said. 'People always forget to talk about the people that work there because it's a grey area and people don't want to address it. One of the main reasons for that, I think, as a business doesn't want to come across as oppressive.' But he said it was important that companies made people aware by using personal examples and making it relatable to their families. Gisec runs until Thursday and artificial intelligence was one of the dominant themes across the floors of the World Trade Centre. Mr Owen said it was making hacking potentially more accessible in terms of coding. And it could be used to develop photos, aliases and make it easier to mimic someone. But humans still had a crucial role. 'It doesn't matter how good your AI is. You still need a human to scour over that data because one piece of AI software won't fit every single business.'
