Declan Rice

[sendô]

Rice meeds to stick to being a great defensive midfielder that can drive forward with the ball, rather that thinking he can score 10 a season and take penalties.

He seems to think he can do everything.

[S-H]

He seems to think he can do everything.

I don't think he has much of a choice at present, sendo.

[-DL-]

I wasn't intending it to be a leading question at all. Was it really?

That's how it came over, but of course, the written word can only be interpreted by the reader, and it would be somewhat different if we were having the same conversation in a beer garden where the nuances of intention are more easily understood.

[Pob!]

Time to SELL SELL SELL!

[MB]

As mentioned in the Soucek thread, Rice has had to take responsibility for pretty much everything in the side

I suspect that the number of passes made by him, and forward passes, as well as forward runs with the ball, dribbles, beating the first press etc as a percentage of the whole team is very very high - plus he is also expected to tackle, track runners and get up and down the pitch (with and without the ball)

get a better player in alongside him and that burden can be shared around a bit

if he doesn't carry the ball forward in transition, who else is going to do it?

I agree with all of that CH to an extent, but some of it is Rice himself. In the sky interview with Gary Neville at the start of last season he talked about wanting to be more box to box. It is conjecture, but the penalties, free kicks and how much license he gets *feels* like Rice wanting to be more than he is world class at.

Not saying we don't have the need for that, but I cannot help but feel he is a (small) part of the problem as while he is good at the aspects you point out, it all dies once he gets near the 18 yard box. I got Reo Coker vibes a couple of times yesterday!

We didn't have this issue in 2020/21 and I'm not sure Soucek has fallen that far off form since then.

Everyone agrees the balance is wrong, but I still think the answer is the third midfielder 10/8 or hybrid. Some real quality there would leave Rice and Soucek to do what they are very good at.

At the moment Rice and Soucek are doing a lot of work but teams are still cutting through our middle. How many through balls from Forest yesterday? Same against Man City. Teams are hurting us where we are supposed to be strongest and that needs to stop.

[PortCityIron]

Since being named club captain I’ve noticed he’s had very little official media including all of the kit launches. In this latest round of Behind the Scenes at Rush Green on YouTube (which I love) he is nowhere to be seen. Would think as club captain and the Crown Jewels he’d be plastered everywhere…

[Colours never run]

Wouldn't read in to it.

[kitthehammer]

If we admit that it was unlikely he would stay even if we had obtained champions league football last season, then mightn’t it have been a better idea to have sold him this summer at his maximum value?
Being as we’ve heard nothing other than this is his last season with us?
If we do achieve anything he goes, if we don’t he goes.
Maybe it would have been better had we already moved on?

[kitthehammer]

Rice meeds to stick to being a great defensive midfielder that can drive forward with the ball, rather that thinking he can score 10 a season and take penalties.

He seems to think he can do everything.

I’m actually beginning to worry a little that as club captain he thinks he needs to do everything.
Just feeling he’s going a bit rashford and needs to step out of the media spotlight a bit and just get on with his game and what he is good at. because at the moment , not only does he need to do that but others need to take some of the responsibility off his shoulders, especially as it sounds like he’ll move on anyway.
It is beginning to feel a bit like the declan rice show and i wonder if that is not helping him or anyone else at the club.

[hammerman11]

Let's give him a chance. A poor start by us but it's very early days . Would love a creative player next to him

[El brooko79]

Lots of talk about Rice’s finishing in training, we don’t see much of it in games, he’s hardly prolific. We need to make a decision, do we buy a proper Cdm and continue developing Rice as a box to box player in which case he needs to contribute 8-10 goals, or do we tell him he is the cdm ( which I suspect is where Chelsea Citeh or whoever buys him will play him) and we go for a top class goal scoring attacking midfielder. Right now I think we are betwixt and between and as a result have lost Souceks goals. Declan may also have to make the same decision….

Long term Rice is a CDM for me.
Yes still breaking the lines at times but for me the deepest of the 2/3 midfielders. ( not in front of the defence like for england).
Starting attacking and dictating the play with the game in front of him. If he can continue to develop I'd like to see him evolve into Carrick with the ball but athleticism and power to dominate centrally. That's really where you control a game.
Whilst they were rubbish, I really liked how he did it vs Everton away last season. They couldn't get passed him and on the ball he pinned them back with his passing.

[1895Hammer]

Long term Rice is a CDM for me.
Yes still breaking the lines at times but for me the deepest of the 2/3 midfielders. ( not in front of the defence like for england).
Starting attacking and dictating the play with the game in front of him. If he can continue to develop I'd like to see him evolve into Carrick with the ball but athleticism and power to dominate centrally. That's really where you control a game.
Whilst they were rubbish, I really liked how he did it vs Everton away last season. They couldn't get passed him and on the ball him pinned them back with his passing.

the English Beckanbauer.

[-DL-]

Long term Rice is a CDM for me.

Yep, I totally agree. By not focussing on this entirely, he risks becoming a jack of all trades, and master of none - when he could potentially become one of the world's best CDMs, which is where he excels.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

NSFW!!

[the pink palermo]

I like Declan on every level, seems a good bloke, obviously a top player, and undoubtedly will go on to Captain England.

He's great with supporters too.

But, and you knew it was coming, anything, and I mean anything, said between him and the Manager in the dressing room or training ground, we don't need to hear.

We all know the talent is on the pitch, but the bloke in the dugout is in charge.

[Bubbles Fortuna]

I like Declan on every level, seems a good bloke, obviously a top player, and undoubtedly will go on to Captain England.

He's great with supporters too.

But, and you knew it was coming, anything, and I mean anything, said between him and the Manager in the dressing room or training ground, we don't need to hear.

We all know the talent is on the pitch, but the bloke in the dugout is in charge.

I do find it odd that he's on a show like that at such a young age, I thought that was the retired player circuit.

[StevePottsGoalsReel]

NSFW!!

Forgot all about when we had Phillips as our manager.

[irving boleyn]

I can't fault him.

He must have been putting pens away in training better than anyone else to take on the role.

[Colours never run]

I can't fault him.

He must have been putting pens away in training better than anyone else to take on the role.

The only Pen I want to see him with now, is for signing the new contract that's waiting in the wings...

C'mon Dec, you know it makes sense!

[mental hamster666]

Just watched league of their own, thought he was great, fair play to him, nothing wrong with putting the hammers on decent tv