Declan Rice

[Burnley Hammer]

I think if Rice and Moyes are serious about him developing into a proper box to box midfielder then he needs to work on that creative side during pre season. He's outstanding defensively, fantastic at holding onto the ball, passing, and driving up the pitch (although I think he could maybe take a risk and do that a little more). What's lacking from his game at present is that final ball into the box. I'm sure he has the talent for it but it's probably just not a natural part of his game at the moment.

[Cuenca 'ammer]

Manchester City's Phil Foden named 2021-22 Premier League young player of the year

Foden beat Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, Crystal Palace's on-loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, Palace's Tyrick Mitchell, Chelsea's Mason Mount, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka, and West Ham's Declan Rice to the award for players aged 23 or under.

wow that's a real shock...

[prophet:marginal]

Foden deserves it; marginally better than our man.

[Cuenca 'ammer]

Foden deserves it; marginally better than our man.

I don't dislike Foden as a player. I think he's really talented.

awards should go to a player that makes a difference.

City without Foden ? probably still win the league.

us without Rice ? probably be maybe 10th or 12th.

of course, all personal opinions that is, they don't list the criteria.

bit like Moyes never winning the manager of the month or the year.

if Klopp gets the quadruple, of course he wins it nad deserves it.

but again, City and Liverpool have the very best players because they have the funds to do that.

I can see Viera in with a shout because he lost a lot of players revamped the squad without the proverbial pot and has them doing pretty well.

like I say, just an opinion. but I think Rice means so much more to the performance of our team throughout the entire season than Foden means to City.

take any of those other players out of their respective teams and I wonder what it does overall to them.

Gallagher and Mitchell have probably done for their respective teams what Rice has done for us.

TAA and Mount ? maybe not so much.

popularity contest ? I wonder.

just thinking out loud.

[prophet:marginal]

All good points, for sure, but I do think that a creative player, with assists/contributions of the pure silky variety Foden conjures up, always wins the beauty contest.

[Aztec Hammer]

I think if Rice and Moyes are serious about him developing into a proper box to box midfielder then he needs to work on that creative side during pre season. He's outstanding defensively, fantastic at holding onto the ball, passing, and driving up the pitch (although I think he could maybe take a risk and do that a little more). What's lacking from his game at present is that final ball into the box. I'm sure he has the talent for it but it's probably just not a natural part of his game at the moment.

We need a true DM/CM to facilitate this. A lot was made of Rice’s box-to-box forays earlier in the season and how it was hurting Soucek’s game. In general, I thought that was a bit of a regressive viewpoint as we should not be limiting Dec’s ability to impact games based on what it meant for Soucek.

I understood it in terms of this season, as we had nobody else to come in and help it out. But in the grand scheme of things, Soucek’s limitations as a footballer should not be a valid reason for confining Rice to a pure DM.

I think we’d be wasting so much rare ability to ghost past people if we kept him sitting just so that Soucek could get himself into the box in the hope of nabbing half a dozen goals a season.

If we could get a trusted sitter to destroy and distribute, whilst Rice is able to do that himself but also use his unique power to take us forward alongside Lingard, Bowen, Fornals etc, we’d be another level of dangerous and dynamic.

I’m not 100% sure of it but I think that player could be Kalvin Phillips.

[Chicken Run Supreme]

From BBC website:

Manchester City's Phil Foden has been nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association men's young player of the year award.

The 22-year-old, who won last season's PFA young player award, is joined by Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in an all-English line-up.

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, defender Reece James from Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey complete the shortlist.

Obviously I’m biased but where the f*** is Declan Rice??
Yes, he was shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year, but so was Foden!!!

That’s a massive snub

[prophet:marginal]

Isn't he too old - at 23 - to be considered for inclusion?

[Crouchend_Hammer]

This is the one voted for by the players isn't it?

[Chicken Run Supreme]

Isn't he too old - at 23 - to be considered for inclusion?

QED proph

Didn’t do my research, just waded in with my claret and blue specs

Dec is actually 18 moths older than Foden

[StevePottsGoalsReel]

QED proph

Didn’t do my research, just waded in with my claret and blue specs

Dec is actually 18 moths older than Foden

Really come out of his cocoon this season too imho.

[Dieter Eckstein]

I swear James Milner was being nominated for young player of the year well into his thirties, so Declan bot being eligible at 23 seems like discrimination.

[MB]

Isn't he too old - at 23 - to be considered for inclusion?

Yep. 23 is basically 30 so…

[prophet:marginal]

Yep. 23 is basically 30 so…

You accept that there is a cut off point somewhere?

[Joffrey]

A special player. We should confirm him as club captain, wearing the number 6 shirt next season and enjoy the next 3 years. We didn’t pay any money for him and let’s face it, the majority of funds generated from his sale won’t be invested back in the squad.

If the owners invest now we might progress into a club that can match his ambitions. They probably won’t, but let’s not let that spoil the time we have.

[Davev]

Loved him arriving for England duty with his West Ham bags and giving Bowen a warm welcome

[IronRhino]

I think if Rice and Moyes are serious about him developing into a proper box to box midfielder then he needs to work on that creative side during pre season. He's outstanding defensively, fantastic at holding onto the ball, passing, and driving up the pitch (although I think he could maybe take a risk and do that a little more). What's lacking from his game at present is that final ball into the box. I'm sure he has the talent for it but it's probably just not a natural part of his game at the moment.

He also needs to add more goals to his game, he is reputedly our best striker of the ball in training, but his shooting in competitive matches is often poor. I think it is a question of having more composure and once a few start going in his confidence will grow and he should be good for 10+ goals every season.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

Rice is trending on Twitter (I know), seems to have turned down a third contract offer.

I have no idea of the provenance of any of this, just mentioning it because it's there.

[Aztec Hammer]

A special player. We should confirm him as club captain, wearing the number 6 shirt next season and enjoy the next 3 years. We didn’t pay any money for him and let’s face it, the majority of funds generated from his sale won’t be invested back in the squad.

If the owners invest now we might progress into a club that can match his ambitions. They probably won’t, but let’s not let that spoil the time we have.

I agree with your post except he’s number 41.

Moore is Moore. Rice is Rice. Let him make his number special in itself.

[hammerman11]

I wonder whether Southgate will give him the armband for one of these matches if he rests kane ? Dec is ready for it.

Next season he could lift the WC and a trophy for WHU
we could yet keep him !
It's the hope