Philippe Clement cannot trust Fabio Silva amid shock at Rangers ace, danger for Celtic clash
Philippe Clement cannot start the “dangerous” Fabio Silva as Rangers take on Celtic at Parkhead because he is a “red card waiting to happen” says Keith Jackson.
The Daily Record journalist heavily criticised the Wolves loanee in his column on the morning of the derby (11 May), branding him “completely deluded and astoundingly selfish” over his gesture at the Gers support after scoring against Kilmarnock last week, something which the manager has downplayed but vowed will “never happen again” [Scotsman, 11 May].
Silva’s form has been criticised in recent weeks after a decent start at Ibrox and Jackson is convinced that his reaction to that shows he cannot be “trusted” in front of 60,000 Hoops fans, insisting Clement has to leave him out.
Jackson wrote: “If Clement is even toying with the idea of sending Fabio Silva out into the front line then he really should cease and desist with that notion without any further delay. The petulant manner with which the Portuguese striker celebrated scoring an equaliser against Killie on Sunday should have told the boss everything he needs to know about this player’s utter lack of self-awareness.
“By choosing that particular moment to turn on his own club’s supporters and gesture that they have been too critical of his performance level, Silva exposed himself as being both completely deluded and astoundingly selfish.
“That he made that moment more about his own importance than that of a team still trying to cling onto this season’s title with its fingertips displayed an alarming lack of character, especially given how little he has contributed since arriving on loan from Wolves in January.
“The only lasting impression he will leave behind on his return to the Black Country this summer is the unsolved mystery of how on earth someone felt inclined to spend £40million on a man of such obvious limitations in the first place.
“To put it simply, Silva is displaying dangerous, loose cannon traits of behaviour and he can’t be trusted to put his team first when it matters most of all in front of 60,000 Celtic fans who’ll be out to test the limits of his fraying temperament. They know an easy target when they see one around this fixture and they’ll view the increasingly erratic Silva as a red card waiting to happen.”
Fabio Silva to be axed for Rangers at Parkhead?
It has been a case of diminishing returns for Silva since his arrival at Rangers in January, with his form trailing off while criticism and mockery has mounted.
The Portuguese attacker sparked controversy in the previous Old Firm derby as his theatrical behaviour saw John Beaton book him for diving before overturning the decision to award a penalty in the 3-3 draw on 7 April.
Had he not been rolling around for the majority of the game prior it is quite possible that the penalty decision would have been given in the first place and wouldn’t have left Celtic so outraged as a result.
The likelihood that Silva remains at Ibrox past the end of his loan deal is now vanishingly small, with Rangers almost certainly unable to afford anything more than a second temporary deal but surely unlikely to seek to do that.
But with the likes of Abdallah Sima and Rabbi Matondo both missing for the trip across Glasgow, as the endless injury issues in the Rangers squad continue through to the bitter end of this campaign, it has left Clement short of options in attack, with both wingers scoring dramatic equalisers in the Ibrox derby last month.
The Belgian would quite possibly choose to leave Silva out if he had a full compliment of options right now regardless of his reaction last week but may be forced into using him, at least off the bench, in a game where he near-enough must win to keep the title within reach.
In other Rangers news, there has been shock at a “staggering” officiating discovery ahead of the Old Firm derby.
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