Looking back at last nights match, can't recall anything positive from the massively overrated Declan Rice.

Massively overrated is right. Looks like a second rate centre half playing in midfield. Still the media love him for some reason

No i don't get the hype about him either, he's been poor most of the season, but apparently Frank thinks he can be a solution to Chelsea's cb problem.

He's a darling with Southgate too but I've yet to see him have a good game for West Ham or England.

Meanwhile Tarkowski turns in MOM performances time and time again and gets overlooked,it really is a case of who you play for and not how good you are.

Agreed, the same with Dier at Spurs. Both are nothing special but play in London so stack up England caps.

Rice must be better than Dire. I think I am.

ecc wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:39 am

Rice must be better than Dire. I think I am.

I agree ecc you are!

Steve1956 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:31 am

Meanwhile Tarkowski turns in MOM performances time and time again and gets overlooked,it really is a case of who you play for and not how good you are.

...and Slabhead at Man U is making basic errors every game and continues to be a shoo-in for England. I'd pick Ben Mee ahead of Maguire at the moment - I'd kind of accepted that Mee was a bit too error-prone for England but did anyone see Maguire against Bournemouth???

And if Southgate continues to favour Pickford ahead of Pope, he wants sacking...

scouseclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:44 am

...and Slabhead at Man U is making basic errors every game and continues to be a shoo-in for England. I'd pick Ben Mee ahead of Maguire at the moment - I'd kind of accepted that Mee was a bit too error-prone for England but did anyone see Maguire against Bournemouth???

And if Southgate continues to favour Pickford ahead of Pope, he wants sacking...

Pickford plays for Everton Pope performs for Burnley,everyone on the planet knows who is the better keeper apart from one man,sad but true i cant see Pope dislodging Pickford,while Southgate is England manager

Rice must be better than Dire. I think I am.

I agree ecc you are!

Oi, you!

Steve1956 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:49 am

Pickford plays for Everton Pope performs for Burnley,everyone on the planet knows who is the better keeper apart from one man,sad but true i cant see Pope dislodging Pickford,while Southgate is England manager

Unfortunately for Pope, kicking seems to be considered the most important attribute of a great keeper and that isn't his strong point.

When will people get it in their heads that England pick players to fit into a system they want to play? The same morons whinge that the “golden generation” failed. A generation that just picked the better players without a system in place. It really isn’t difficult to understand

Leisure wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:53 am

Unfortunately for Pope, kicking seems to be considered the most important attribute of a great keeper and that isn't his strong point.

I know mate,and there was me thinking a goalkeepers job was stopping the ball going inbetween those white sticks.....keepers trying to play the ball out from the back invariably F**k it up...Like Brighton's keeper last night ...twice,gimme a shot stopper everytime over Pep's invention of the footballing keeper.

Let’s hope that Brighton don’t abandon their principles before they visit Turf Moor and keep playing football the “right way”. Same with Norwich Krul teed up Aubemayang beautifully the other day.

Back to Declan Rice, I turned the volume down last night as I got sick of the commentators and to be honest I can't remember seeing Declan Rice...

Hes a babble blower.
How many WHU players have been capped yet wernt anything special
I remember our game when our former youth cup players made the step up.
We thrashed a WHU team with Moore Hurst and Peters
WHU are media darlings that why Rice has got a cap
The press picked Muppet Southgate a failure in club management and they pick the players for him
In what world in Tammy Abraham or Hudson-Odyi international standard.

Once he turned his back on Ireland he became a hate figure over here , same as Jack the lad at Villa .

Tribesmen wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 2:33 pm

Once he turned his back on Ireland he became a hate figure over here , same as Jack the lad at Villa .

Was going to suggest that's why he's the media darling for England.
Got to be good enough because he picked England.

Massively overrated.

The England manager made his early reputation, by playing young players from his U21 days. Sadly, he now only uses young players, who hit the headlines and play a few times for the favoured clubs.

Rice is such a player. He played him, so Ireland can't have him. Now he is back to ordinary, he will fade away. The silly lad could have progressed much better, with Ireland.

Many very good U 21s disappear. That's why managers play mature, experienced players. They are reliable and consistent.

depechedingle wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:08 am

Looking back at last nights match, can't recall anything positive from the massively overrated Declan Rice.

Probably his best performance against us - offered absolutely nothing again as he's done every other time he's played against us. I just don't get it with him, I just don't see what the media hype is all about.

He’s also played every minute this season. Needs to be dropped. Possibly a reason WHU are so far down in the table.

Pointer and Connelly should have got more caps when playing for Burnley, Brian O'Neill was regarded as the top midfielder in England in his prime but never got a look in. On the Pope/Pickford debate, living in Spain I meet many expats who support many different teams from Accy Stanley to every PL team. Everyone, almost to a man say Pope should be the England keeper by a mile. They also rate Tarkowski and Mee very highly and would like to sign Tarkowski in particular.

Apparently he reads the game really well

I read a book to go to sleep

Has anyone mentioned Tyrone Mings yet? There’s another head scratcher.

Agree with the above on Rice. He looks average at best. Certainly wouldn’t get in the Burnley team.

To me converted centre halves playing centre mid stick out a mile. That's why I really don't rate Rice or Dier for that matter.

As for the goalkeeping situation, I think Pope and Henderson will struggle as I think especially in this country we have some kind of blind loyalty towards goalkeepers. It happened with Shilton and it happened with Hart. Both should have been potted a long time before they eventually did.

If Pickford cocks up, then Southgate trots out the line... "Goalkeepers make mistakes and he's saved us many times in the past"

The problem is that if Pope or Henderson or Heaton got a game and made a massive rick, you can be damn sure Pickford would be straight back in there.

Rinse and repeat.

Vino blanco wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:12 pm

Pointer and Connelly should have got more caps when playing for Burnley, Brian O'Neill was regarded as the top midfielder in England in his prime but never got a look in. On the Pope/Pickford debate, living in Spain I meet many expats who support many different teams from Accy Stanley to every PL team. Everyone, almost to a man say Pope should be the England keeper by a mile. They also rate Tarkowski and Mee very highly and would like to sign Tarkowski in particular.

Bill Shankly said Fletch was the best uncapped CF in England. He was right and that is how it stayed. They throw caps around willy-nilly nowadays. To stop them playing for another country is a pathetic reason for capping an average player.

Re: West Ham. Half their side was on the bench last night, Mark Noble. When he hangs them up they are truly screwed.

West Ham paid £45m for Sebastien Haller.
Let's stop and think about that.

huw.Y.WattfromWare wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:57 pm

Bill Shankly said Fletch was the best uncapped CF in England. He was right and that is how it stayed. They throw caps around willy-nilly nowadays. To stop them playing for another country is a pathetic reason for capping an average player.

Re: West Ham. Half their side was on the bench last night, Mark Noble. When he hangs them up they are truly screwed.

Fletch really was that good wasn't he?

Noble is the one player who can get West Ham playing with some real level of commitment.

Foulthrow wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:50 pm

Has anyone mentioned Tyrone Mings yet? There’s another head scratcher.

Agree with the above on Rice. He looks average at best. Certainly wouldn’t get in the Burnley team.

Good shout on Mings too. Even with my Claret specs off, how do you pick that lad ahead of Tarkowski? Really bizarre from Gareth.

When we played West Ham at the Turf I watched out for Rice, as he'd just been hyped up in the media. Almost non-existent performance, I can only imagine he must be great against everyone apart from us.

Agree he wouldn't make a Dyche/Burnley team where character, accountability and making sure you are visible and getting the basics right even when things aren't going well are all minimum requirements

It doesn't seem like rocket science but it's quite amazing how many PL managers overlook those requirements in players and then scratch their heads in front of the media wondering how they haven't got something out of a game against us

Joe Shaw a Sheff Utd player in the 60s was one of the best CBS around and never got near the England team with the selectors picking from big city sides

I watched the West Ham v Chelsea game the other week and Rice played well, that is the only time I have seen him play any bit like

Woonderbah wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:59 pm

West Ham paid £45m for Sebastien Haller.
Let's stop and think about that.

I wrote in my match report from last night's game: "French striker Haller, who cost 100 times more than we paid for Ashley Barnes, saw his effort saved superbly again by Pope’s outstretched leg."

Foulthrow wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:50 pm

Has anyone mentioned Tyrone Mings yet? There’s another head scratcher.

Agree with the above on Rice. He looks average at best. Certainly wouldn’t get in the Burnley team.

Mings is another I don't get - looks shaky in a poor defence and while we are on about that, what about Ake at Bournemouth, looks at fault for far too many goals.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:02 pm

Probably his best performance against us - offered absolutely nothing again as he's done every other time he's played against us. I just don't get it with him, I just don't see what the media hype is all about.

Always thought that you know very little about football!

Leisure wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 4:17 pm

Always thought that you know very little about football!

I know enough to know that Rice was crap again

Top Claret wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 4:09 pm

I watched the West Ham v Chelsea game the other week and Rice played well, that is the only time I have seen him play any bit like

Interesting that he is linked to Chelsea and nobody else. Boyhood mate of Mount.

I'm not usually one to jump straight in and call these kind of players overrated because sometimes the good work they does goes unnoticed. You'd think there's a reason why professional managers and coaches rate him. But due to the hype that Rice has received up to press I have paid attention to what exactly it is that he offers and I really don't get it. He just seems anonymous. I can only presume that West Ham fans love him as he's been with the club from a young age and he's probably a lot more likable than most of the mercenaries who turn out for them.

One of my favourite Karen Carney moments last night (not mentioned on the other thread I don't think) was when she claimed that Declan Rice had led West Ham superbly this season. Led them superbly into the relegation zone, yes!

IanMcL wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:00 pm

The England manager made his early reputation, by playing young players from his U21 days. Sadly, he now only uses young players, who hit the headlines and play a few times for the favoured clubs.

Rice is such a player. He played him, so Ireland can't have him. Now he is back to ordinary, he will fade away. The silly lad could have progressed much better, with Ireland.

Many very good U 21s disappear. That's why managers play mature, experienced players. They are reliable and consistent.

As you well know Ian a lot has to do with him been an England international , his fees climb and his sell on value no doubt, but his agent pushed him on this .
You can't blame him wanting more money and the trappings that come with playing for England but kissing the Irish badge before games is what i find hard to swallow .

Tribesmen wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:21 pm

As you well know Ian a lot has to do with him been an England international , his fees climb and his sell on value no doubt, but his agent pushed him on this .
You can't blame him wanting more money and the trappings that come with playing for England but kissing the Irish badge before games is what i find hard to swallow .

sacrificed a very enjoyable Irish experience, for a short term exposure to England. Shame.

Is he Damian Rice's brother? He's crap too

He gets the ball goes forward a few yards then always looks for a sideways pass. He’s always gesticulating to his teammates where they should play the ball as well. That would drive me mad if I were in his team

IanMcL wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:25 pm

sacrificed a very enjoyable Irish experience, for a short term exposure to England. Shame.

Whilst his England exposure will probably be a short term I’m not sure you can call being part of the current Irish set up an enjoyable experience.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:33 pm

Whilst his England exposure will probably be a short term I’m not sure you can call being part of the current Irish set up an enjoyable experience.

Yer you have a point he has more chance of winning something with England even going to Euro's and World Cups than ever with Ireland .
I think he would have progressed better with the Irish as would have been hungry to keep proving himself , look the papers think he is an £80 million player i don't think so do you ?

Tribesmen wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:44 pm

Yer you have a point he has more chance of winning something with England even going to Euro's and World Cups than ever with Ireland .
I think he would have progressed better with the Irish as would have been hungry to keep proving himself , look the papers think he is an £80 million player i don't think so do you ?

Absolutely not. He’s still young but I’d be surprised if he’s a mainstay in the England squad for years to come. Although we’re not exactly blessed with holding midfielders and haven’t been for some time!!

Will keep an eye on him i must say , but maybe a move to a higher profile club maybe better for him who knows .England has so many very good players but only a few world class players , i don't think Rice will ever be world class .

Rice is like a West Ham version of Chris McCann. People keep telling me how good he is but I can't see it.

Pickford, Rice and Stones....all off form but nailed on for England. Actually, what has sterling done lately?