Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United FC via Getty Images)
It’s not fun having to claim that Declan Rice may have made a mistake but allowing himself to be persuaded into one of those “it’s so frustrating interviews” on the official site may be one!
Now, I understand that media departments have to trot out these pieces but it doesn’t really help to be told where things go wrong half way through Sunday.
Declan, however, after such an enormous game at a personal level, clearly feels the pain and we can only sympathise that his efforts weren’t replicated across the pitch. As a result the opportunity to make his feelings known is probably acceptable.
He, Snoddy and Felipe Anderson battled it out for man of the match with ClaretandHugh giving its vote to the 20 year old as he spotted danger all over the pitch, snuffed it out, kept playing moving doing everything asked of him over the 90 minutes.
As a result we repeat his thoughts here with sympathy.
Speaking at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2019/october/27-october/declan-rice-we-need-kill-teams he said: ”
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “I think if you look at the first half, we completely dominated the game. In the second half, we came out and started well but it’s pretty much the same old story in that we haven’t taken our chances.
“We had two or three big chances to kill the game, they’ve gone up the other end and scored to put a real downer on it.
“It was looking good at half time, the fans were excited because we were playing well and we were pressing well.
“One little mistake and it ends up in a goal and only a point instead of three, so it’s a disappointing day.”
He had a special word for Robert Snodgrass though sayng: “I knew he was going to come in and play a blinder like he did. The work rate he gives, and the deliveries from his left foot are special.
“He’s such a top pro and, yeah, I’m delighted for him today.”
He added: “We just need to put the ball in the back of the net. We’re creating enough, but we’re not scoring enough. In the Premier League you need to kill teams off and we haven’t been doing that of late.
“We’ve got it in us, we’ve got the squad and we’ve got the quality. Newcastle will play a similar game, they play five at the back and sit in. We’ll need to give it everything.”
Sorry. Me, and the people around me couldn’t agree who was worse Yarmo or Anderson. The only one out of the whole team who tried was Snod. That’s why the supporters booed Pelle when he took Snod off. And yes, Pelle was slagged as well.
West Ham should go and install Jose Mourinho as manager and stop PRETENDING they want to be a top club and ACTUALLY go do it… An ordinary squad at Leicester transformed by a brilliant coach in Rodgers… Pellegrini just isn’t good enough!,
Our players are lazy, don’t work hard enough and poor. Losing to Palace, losing at a out of form Everton, drawing with newly promoted Sheffield United!!!
Geez it’s pathetic…
As a supporter for over 55 years I’m tired of the same excuses, it’s time to make this club soar to great heights and with these owners, manager and many mediocre players we’retop 12 at best..
If Anderson had squared to Haller instead of shooting at the keeper from a tight angle we’d have won. Its not all about ‘one little mistake’…Its about a lack of guile and anticipation throughout the team in telling situations. Snoddy, of course, excepted. Let’s hope that changes. But it won’t until Pelle realises Cresswell and Zabaletta are no longer Premiership standard.
Before the 2 goals at the end of the Palace game, everyone was saying we’re going to be pushing for top 6. 3 games later and we’re a bottom half Club? How about we get behind the team and manager and give them some backing rather than moaning and writing off the season after 9 games? Things change quickly in football and back to back wins and everyone will be saying ‘CL here we come’ and ‘Pelle is the best manager ever’ etc etc. Fickle-st fans in the prem we have.
IMHO it’s no coincidence the team has lost a lot of confidence, especially at the back, since Fabianski got injured. Roboyto has done ok but most of the goals against us you could say he would probably have saved and then we’d be more confident going forward not chasing games and gone on to better results.
In Pelle I trust…