Hammers captain in all but name, Declan Rice, had an 'interesting' game for England in the epic 2-0 victory over ze Germans at Wembley. Dec's Jekyll and Hyde performance was split in to two halves, during the first half Declan looked very uneasy, got himself booked early doors and spent a lot of time with his arm in the air looking like he was trying to hail a London Taxi!
The second half was an entirely different matter though, many players would have been disheartened by receiving a yellow card so early on in a match of such significance, particularly a holding midfielder, and when Dec's 'co-enforcer' Kalvin Phillips picked up a yellow, it seemed as if their task had been severely compromised, but it was not to be. Declan Rice flourished in the second half, and like all great players, he adapted to the situation and then played with intelligence and aplomb.
Ironically, it was the players, ahead of the commentators who lauded Rice's contribution, as did the studio pundits, they recognised the selfless but aggressive roles both Declan and Kalvin Phillips played in the victory, what they did was NOT glamorous, but it was effective, they snuffed out the German playmakers forcing them to play long or wide.
Given their age and relative inexperience, the combination of Rice and Kalvin Phillips fully justified Gareth Southgate's selection, the England manager takes a lot of stick for his team selections, but in this instance, he more than got it right.
England's next opponents are the Ukraine, what are the odds for Yarmolenko to score against England? Should England overcome the Ukraine in Rome, their next fixture could see them facing the Czech Republic, so there could be three West Ham players on the pitch at the same time
Wouldn't it be so West Ham if it were the club's Czech Mates who put the 'mother country' out? - Ed
Comments
Odds on Yarmo scoring... 100
Odds on Yarmo scoring... 100 to 1! :o)
Cant see Ingggerlan conceding a goal
i think
its amazing that Yarmo has played 4-5 games and hasn't picked up an injury surely he's due one
Very few supporters this side
Very few supporters this side of the pond ,reason being your media, the red top are the worst but Linikar & Shearer come a near second ,yous got the good end of the draw ,if ye dont beat Ukraine forget about it ,dont mean to sound bitter but the arrogance of your pundits says it all ,maybe you are lucky Italy are playing Belgium. Agree with your comparison with Dec and a London cab ,hes got to stop all this arm waving and pointing ,its as if hes saying " look im the England captain in waiting "
Well he could be Burkie, the
Well he could be Burkie, the pointing I'm used to as he does it for us. Not quite sure how the, shall we say. More established players in the squad feel about it though? Maybe it's going to catch on, many players now will be like a Spanish Policeman in the middle of Barcelona pointing and blowing a whistle. Although not pointing a gun at you for jaywalking.......
He must be doin it under
He must be doin it under orders ,imo its senseless having a striker as captain ,it doesnt look good though, i wouldnt say Maguire thinks too highly about it
Apparently, Rice has turned
Apparently, Rice has turned down an offer to sign a New Contract with West Ham. West Ham were looking to raise his salary and extend his 3 years to 5 years, but it has now drawn interest from the likes of Chelsea and Man United. Hope these are just the usual tabloid rumours.
You must be joking Toronto:
You must be joking Toronto: ,i for one think he wont stay here a minute longer than he has to .
Well Burkie, he still has 3
Well Burkie, he still has 3 more years on his contract. Cannot see the club letting him go this season. Quite possibly if West Ham do not improve on that 6th place finish.