“A rumour’s not a rumour that doesn’t die.” – The Usual Suspects.
The above quote is one of my favourites, from one of my favourite films. A lot of folks have said that it is cryptic, but it’s actually got a pretty straightforward meaning; if it doesn’t die, it’s got to be more than just a rumour. It’s a neat little bit of dialogue.
The thing about it is, it’s not true. It comes off beautifully in the context of the film, over which looms the shadow of the mythic Keyzer Soze, a man whose whole existence is a rumour until the rolling series of shocks at the end of the movie, but you can see in the real world that there are examples everywhere of how some rumours won’t go quietly into the night.
One of the reasons that some rumours won’t die is that people keep feeding them, even when there’s nothing to them at all. The rumour that we were interested in Fabio Silva in the summer appears to be nothing more than a confection of agents, people trying to drum up interest in him by playing the old “linked with both teams in Glasgow” trick.
I look at Silva and I wonder what the basis of our interest would have been. He’s got no scoring record to speak of. His confidence was at rock bottom. He doesn’t seem particularly quick. He’s very easily pushed off the ball. He has a modicum of technical skill. Other than that, he’s a player who moved to England for a huge fee and didn’t come close to living up to it.
I have no doubt that he was offered to both clubs. But I also know we issued a number of denials about our having any interest in signing him, and I actually believe those denials for two reasons; first, we are cheapskates who wouldn’t have signed anyone for the kind of wages he was on at Ibrox and secondly because he doesn’t fit Rodgers style at all.
This is one of those afternoons where some of the stories are so silly that I find myself sitting laughing as I work my way through them.
This isn’t to say there aren’t serious subjects to discuss, because there are and I’ll tackle a couple of those in the next couple of days, but today we’re in the Theatre Of The Absurd again and the Fabio Silva story which is all over the media today has to be the daftest of the lot.
“Fabio Silva had Celtic transfer option but chose (Ibrox) as decision explained by dad Jorge” was the headline over Scott McDermott’s latest article on the player, a player who I didn’t think did enough in his short time in Scotland to merit even one follow-up story far less the torrent of them we’ve read this past week, as amusing as some of them undoubtedly are. This one is a joke, though, and for more than just the obvious reasons, which are that its based on a lie.
It’s one of those stories where, to me, the automatic reaction is “Who is this for exactly?” It’s certainly not for the vast majority of the Ibrox fans, although some of their clickbait outlets have picked it up and run with it as if it was great. They must really need cheering up over there if they are clutching on to stuff as dire as this.
Most of them, though, aren’t in the least bit impressed, in part because he was an incredible waste of their club’s money, and also because Silva has spent the past week telling all and sundry that they treated him abysmally and he would never have gone back there.
This resulted in some predictable outrage from much of the club’s social media following and a handful of mainstream press allies who squealed about how they never wanted him back anyway; it’s a bit like watching two people you can’t stand fighting one another to exhaustion. All of it was terribly amusing but ultimately futile as there never was a ghost of a chance of them getting him on a permanent deal regardless of how the relationship had panned out.
That makes the whole thing kind of fake and even more ridiculous to me.
So the article clearly wasn’t for the benefit of their own fans, and it certainly wasn’t for the benefit of ours. Not one of us cares. Not one of us would have been happier right now if he had signed for us instead of for them, most notably because we wouldn’t have wound up with Adam Idah, he whose goals helped secure us the title and who’s alertness won us the cup.
In light of how things turned out, the whole idea that anyone would be bragging about the choice that he made, or who might highlight it to get one over on Celtic is clearly hilarious. What’s more, it’s unintentionally hilarious because I’m sure there is some element in the media coverage of this which is meant to make us all think “Oh he preferred them … how can we ever sleep at night?”
And of course, there is additional stupidity attached to this by Jorge Silva’s wholly un-necessary reference to religion in the article. His son was advised to sign for Celtic because “we’re Catholic” but opted to move to Ibrox instead? I would imagine he now understands the advice in some small measure, as a consequence of having had to listen to fans songs referring to being “up to their knees in fenian blood”. Hope he liked the Ibrox atmosphere … more than his son appeared to anyway, based on his own comments.
Still, what does religion have to do with it?
The idea of Celtic as some kind of exclusively “Catholic club” is so outdated and ridiculous that it’s barely worth putting up an argument against it. It’s one of those things that every time I hear it, I automatically judge the person who said it and think “that’s someone whose level of understanding of this club barely scratches the surface.”
Some of those people are worth educating on the facts and some of them aren’t Some of them use it confirm their own prejudices, and they are welcome to them.
If his “advisers” were telling him to make decisions based on crap like that then he needs new advisors to be honest. How credible can this whole thing be when those at the centre of it present their decision making and their thought process like this? It’s a joke, isn’t it? Just as the suggestion that we were ever interested enough in the idea to make this a snub is.
Earlier on, I wrote about how the BBC is getting its “rumours” from Football Insider; I mean, I know pre-season is quiet but the dregs that some of these outlets throw up in order to fill column inches or in the interests of “content” makes you despair.
Utter typical DR pish. mcdermotts just another jackson disciple. They’ll dredge up any pathetic garbage. Even if there was a shred of truth, in that he ‘preferred and chose’ the ibrox club over us, all ah can say is thank fuck for that. Appreciate it mate, cheers.
You missed the best part of the story, which was the Hun fans repeatedly saying to his Da ‘Tell him to stop diving!’
The fact his own father would say this to the media proves that the apple really didn’t fall far from the tree.
I wonder what those at Wolves think of him, that would be a far more interesting story.
Diving for a penalty in front of an open goal is the funniest moment in world football. Another record for Sevco.
Well if your a Catholic and your about to sign for a club who’s fan hate Catholics, even got a wee ditty ” we hate Catholics, we hate all roman Catholics”. I think his agent who have to say to him, ” look your Catholic. It might not be such a good idea signing for sevvo and if you do , don’t ever mention your religion “
Maybe he loves being persecuted, being a martyr. He would know that they wouldn`t take kindly to his tattoos of the (alleged) Sacred Heart and Our lady of Fatima. There are people like that: nasty creatures who are only happy if they see other people unhappy.
As for Idah: I was looking at a Norwich fan site recently because I firmly believe that the best
way to judge a player is by asking the fans who watch them on a regular basis, rather than the
videos, advice from scouts, statistics or former teammates` rubbish. The Norwich fans are not
all that keen on having him back. Too slow, can`t header, not a team player and injury prone
for the past five or six years. They weren`t surprised that he was only a back-up to Kyogo and
a former manager described him as a “compromise joint” which, I would assume means he
doesn`t fit in very well. Forget about him and head to Aberdeen for a replacement.
It’s definitely a helluva a lot tougher playing for Norwich City in the unforgiving and uncompromising League that is The EFL Championship Effarr than it is playing for Celtic in a League that’s the laughing stock of Europe…
That much is certain –
However Europe is altogether a very different animal in The Champions League for sure and Norwich would know all about that, not that they’re ever likely to be in it…
Adam shined well enough here and probably seen us over the line for the double and would probably walk it again in The SPFL Premier League if we signed him…
Europe would indeed be interesting to see how he fared though !
Didn’t we just watch him for 5 months? Wasn’t his contribution significant? Could we just make our own minds up based on that rather than Norwich fans, no disrespect to them? Didn’t he just score with a header for Ireland ???
Good news for us Droopy if that is there opinions. Their fans don’t want him around gives Norwich less desire to consider holding us to ransom for him, he more than likely does want to come back here & if they don’t see any potential that surely just makes it a cheaper deal for us.
I’m hoping anyway ?
His parent company will put him out on loan until he is out of contract. Would never make it in England.
Daddy Silva trying to make Sonny Silva sound brave (my catholic boy played for Sevco)…
While trying to curry favour with Sevco Huns that detest his boy now and his daddy’s religion –
Well I ain’t trying to curry favour with ANY bloody Sevco Hun…
Not even ma ex girlfriend when I was goin with her…
Big mistake by the way !
Silva is just like cantplaywell, only know the ins and outs of cheating ,and chatting BS ,not the type of people for up an coming youth players to aspire to ,these two are prime example of how not to play football.any player who behaved in the manor Silva did should miles away from first team train on it,s own . don’t deserve a place in reserve (B) team
“Founded by the Irish as a beacon of hope to the oppressed” – Very drunk stranger
We should have paid a gratuity for him picking the serial losers from Govan.
Having seen him “play” he’s not really known for intelligent decisions.
Diving and moaning, flouncing around comparing permed bobs with TikTok Todd, he chose the right team, good for you son.
Let’s all laugh at the NEWCO THE RANJURS 2012 that’s all I’ve got to say but for the Scottish media the kid on journalist who try and slag our club are sick scumhun who are scared to write about the newco incase the wee union bears threatening them and there family they are nothing but DIRTY COWARDS IN THE SCOTTISH MEDIA COWARDS COWARDS AND RAT RATS THATS AFACT..CHEATS NEVER WON AND OLDCO AND NEWCO ARE CHEATS OF THE SPFL..
K Jackass latest drivel about Billy Gilmour is worth your attention Jamesy
Brendan would never want a player with Silva’s characteristics. They do seem to get drawn to Ibrox though, Kent, Cantwell, Ratskin, Freddo of late.
Haughty Hubristic Huns….Hail Hail…
The Daily Record Sports Journalists write stories rumours etc for one football supporters club which is Sevco ,Celtic supporters for a long time gave up on the DR one reason they have lost a lot of readers especially Celtic ones .
Just as there was a screenshot kicking about of a of one of the rags with a coffin over the bearers in an open grave and a wreath for ‘Rangers’ who’d died on it – Well hopefully soon they can do another pic this time with the wreath of The Daily Record…
C’mon the few Celtic supporters – This is a clarion call to do your duty to Scottish society and stop financing it through purchase or online…
And play your part in sending them to eternally rot in hell with their beloved ‘rangers’ !
He is never a footballer,he might have slept with one and hes dreamn