Dec's Despair-Sub Plot

Firstly we would churlish to criticise Gareth Southgate's management of an England team that nearly won their first International tournament final for 55 years, the team, the coaching staff and the manager took their country to within touching distance of greatness only to fall at the last hurdle on penalties.

However, as like many other Hammers fans, our viewing of the England games had a special significance due to the presence of the club's talisman, Declan Rice. Declan was superb against Italy, probably playing his best game of the tournament against the Azzurri, he and midfield partner Dominic Kalvin Phillips bossed the midfield, particularly in the first half of the game.

So it came as rather a surprise when Declan was subbed off in the closing stages of normal time to be replaced by Jordan Henderson, unfortunately from virtually the moment he came on the Liverpool captain had a mare of a game and really was as bad as Rice had been good. Perhaps it is just an idle thought, but the cohesion the team had in the middle of the park began to disintegrate, leaving England to hang on for penalties, and we all know how that ended!
Southgate then compounded his rare mistake when he allowed his own personal demon, the memory of past penalty shoot-outs pain, to cloud his previously impeccable judgement.

As a result, the England manager thought too much, and brought on two players, who had hardly kicked a ball during the game, to take two of the crucial penalties. On another day it could have worked out well, especially as the usually erratic Jordan Pickford played one of the games of his life and did NOT deserve to be on the losing side of a penalty shoot out, having saved TWO of Italy's five penalties.

The conclusion? Close, but not close enough, would different substitutions have altered the result? Possibly, we will never know, but there is a groundswell of opinion, that Southgate's safety mode back fired badly, maybe Dec had an injury, he did get clattered early on in the second half, but seemed to have run it off, however, having been recipients of the same player returning from International duty injured because he was made to play on after having picked up an injury, the club will be happy.

Hammers fans should perhaps be grateful that Declan Rice has emerged physically unharmed, the mental side of it will take a while, however like all great players, the Hammers midfield maestro will learn from the experience and use it as motivation for the future.

Now the Euro's are out the way, fans will be looking at the club's recruitment with much closer scrutiny than before, hopefully there are several rabbits to be pulled out of hats before the fat lady sings. - Ed