Guglielmo Vicario might have SHUSHED a handful of Spurs fans for no apparent reason, but crucially we cannot be sure so shouldn’t be making the accusation.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the SHUSH
The big story from Thursday evening’s confirmation of a delightfully early St Totteringham’s Day was no doubt Ange Postecoglou’s attempts to gaslight an entire fanbase and just generally people with functioning eyes.
He cupped his ear to the Spurs supporters who had booed him moments before because he was happy and wanted to hear them make more noise, your honour. It really is incredible how things are interpreted nowadays, especially when there are precisely zero other available interpretations of something.
So there is absolutely currency in pretending that rifts at Spurs run deeper than that irrevocable one between manager and fans. Which is how we get this from The Sun website:
‘Tottenham keeper Vicario appears to SHUSH fuming Spurs fans then smacks tunnel after Chelsea defeat’
It is a mightily loaded headline in the circumstances and they absolutely know that. Hell, they’re nakedly depending on either the fury of Spurs fans or the schadenfreude of everyone else for clicks there.
But it’s immediately problematic: he either SHUSHED the fans or he didn’t. This is not really a scenario in which cakes can be both had and eaten here.
The explanation in the story makes it no clearer. Digital Sports Reporter Kealan Hughes writes that Vicario ‘walked over to the away end and made a gesture, spinning his wrists around his head before appearing to make a shushing action.’ And who among us can honestly say they haven’t ever made a gesture, spinning our wrists around our head before appearing to make a shushing action?
It’s nonsense for a number of reasons. For starters, not a single Spurs fan reacts to this supposed act of disrespect; those left in the stands just continue to clap as Vicario allegedly comes over specifically to SHUSH them.
Also, the camera is filming Vicario from the back and thus the slightly grainy footage only shows him raising his hand in the vague vicinity of his face. And of course he cannot possibly have been SCRATCHING an itch or anything. It can only have been a SHUSH.
Just look at this remarkably incriminating evidence attached to the story:
That is admittedly quite damning. Just look at that handful of ‘fuming Spurs fans’ he has decided to goad for no apparent reason.
It is quite strange that the only other outlet covering this story is TribalFootball. It’s not even a thing on the social media hellscape of manufactured controversies formerly known as Twitter. Why is everyone choosing to ignore this apart from the incredibly brave souls at The Sun website? Stop asking questions. SHUSH.
More tea, Vicar?
Actually, tell a lie: the Daily Star website brings us this latest development:
‘Tottenham star spotted shushing Chelsea fans after tensions boiled over in clash’
That really does clear up any and all confusion. Cheers.
Ange management
This line in that Sun website story is also slightly absurd:
‘Postecoglou was also accused of cupping his ear towards the away end after Pape Sarr found the net – only for his goal to be ruled out.’
The reluctance to say with absolute certainty that Vicario SHUSHED the fans is understandable. But saying Postecoglou was ‘also accused of cupping his ears towards the away end’ is like saying he has been accused of being a surly 59-year-old Australian.
Brawl of shame
Something about that game at Stamford Bridge obviously planted a mischievous seed in the collective minds at The Sun website because…
‘Chelsea and Tottenham descends into chaos as Romero sparks mass brawl after shoving Colwill to ground’
The players ‘came to blows in a feisty brawl’ and ‘referee Craig Pawson was left helpless given the sheer number of players involved’, you see?
An alternative view might be that there was a small amount of pushing or shoving and a whole lot more separating, while a ‘helpless’ Pawson watched from the outside instead of getting stuck in.
And what punishment was meted out after these two sets of players ‘came to blows’? One yellow card apiece. It doesn’t exactly scream ‘Battle of the Bridge’, does it?
You with the sad eyes
One player who might want to SHUSH a certain section of the fans is Trent Alexander-Arnold, but as he is currently injured the Liverpool defender has been reduced to ‘show true colours’ duty by the Daily Mirror website.
‘Trent Alexander-Arnold shows true colours with Liverpool reaction despite fan anger’ is a headline which leaves plenty to the imagination as to what he might have done. Maybe Mediawatch missed him holding up a Real Madrid shirt to the Kop in this sordid true colour reveal. Or did he spin his wrists around his head before appearing to make a shushing action?
The suspense is killing us…
‘The 26-year-old stood by the tunnel so he could congratulate every one of his team-mates as they came off, with a special reception reserved for Jones, who got some words of encouragement.’