Declan Rice has responded in wonderfully professional manner to any recent criticism by claiming that David Moyes has been “excellent to me.”
And as he heads for possibly his biggest test yet in the Premier League he has pledged to put everything he has learned this season into practice against Man City at the London Stadium tomorrow (Sun).
He explained to the official site: “I’ve played in two positions this season – I’ve played in midfield and at the back and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing both of them.
“At the back you have to be a bit sharper, more concentrated than when you’re playing in the U23s. Then, when you’re playing in midfield you have no time on the ball because you’re playing against world class midfielders.
“It’s one or two touch and then move the ball quick, because if you don’t it’ll be in the back of your net. That’s the thing I’ve learned, how to have a quick game.
“All the lads have really chipped in for me this season. Joe Hart has been great behind me, Noble and the older lads who have been there and done it. They know what it’s all about and the manager has been excellent for me too.
“When I’ve made a mistake he’s told me about it and rightly so, but when I’ve done well they’ve also told me that.”
He added: “I think we can take a lot of confidence from the fact that we ran them so close up there and only lost to a late goal. We can also take confidence from the way we’ve been playing recently.
“We were unbeaten in three before Arsenal, and yes they’re champions, but we need to get out of the zone we’re in and get a crucial three points.
“We need play our own game, frustrate them, get a result and move up the table. If we take the defensive side of that game at Man City into Sunday, that will be important.
This article is reminiscent of Trump, May and the ‘alt right’ and their “fake news” reportage.
Good on Declan for his understanding of interpersonal and organizational politics and playing the game. Great move on the part of C&H to redeem the reputation of the pathetic Mr Moyes. Wholly incredible though. What propaganda.
Mr Moyes was utterly despicable in figuratively ‘pee’ing on ‘ Declan Rice. At least Masuaku only spat. Hart wasn’t much better either. Hart gas plummeted in my estimation with his TV cameo: ‘I said away, I said away!’ Hart could have put his arm round Declan and given the teenager the confidence, the respect for his performance up to the error. With his 30 years maturity and leadership he had a duty to show leadership, to be the ‘bigger man’. Instead in his desperation to get to the World Cup he makes the most pathetic public attempt to stitch up the most promising youth player we’ve had since Ferdinand, Lampard, Ince and Moore. No class there then.
Back to Mr Moyes. Well, after his appalling tactical glitches against the Gunners, he burst Into a public tirade against Declan Rice, one of our best performers this season: youth and inexperience notwithstanding. Mr Moyes should be ashamed of himself. From Mr Moyes we reasonably expect honourable leadership to be demonstrated. Instead we see the true measure of this man, his complete lack of honour, his lack of leadership.
Mr Moyes should have publicly covered Declan Rice in praise pointing to his amazing progress this season instead of ignominiously dumping on him. Young central defenders make mistakes. That comes with their professional development. Mr Moyes should have held his tongue publicly having a constructive coaching word with Declan in private. Then Declan would have been lifted, motivated. Instead Mr Moyes is seen for who he is: a man devoid of loyalty and magnanimity. A desperate ‘blame flinger’. Bet Declan would now jump off a cliff for Mr Moyes. Hasn’t Mr Moyes come across motivational psychology?
The awful mistakes in that game were Mr Moyes’ tactics in choosing to hold his team back to his favoured drudgery of the low-risk game when they were more than holding their own, and indeed 5-2 scoring attempts ahead of the Gunners after 20 minutes or so. Playing for the point rather than going for it, refusing to take the risk. This tactic backfired completely.
Then in a desperate attempt to divert the real cause for this capitulation, Mr Moyes turned on Declan calling him out in a pathetic, weak and contemptible blaming; how utterly despicable. Shame on you Mr Moyes. If a rollicking was in order for Declan, and that is debatable, it should have been delivered privately.
Well, let’s be fair and balanced. Mr Moyes certainly has one proven leadership quality; the ability to lead a team into the Championship abyss and he’s currently at the top of his game in this regard.
Commiserations to Sunderland football club on their second successive relegation,
and let’s hope the same fate isn’t being visited upon us, Mr Moyes – any public comments?
A result tomorrow is even more crucial with Palace, Soton and Stoke picking up points – COYI
Yes, you can thank the official site for that or you can wonder whether you are interested in how the lad sees himself!
And being alt left I will apologise on behalf of the official site but not Declan who probably knows his own game best. Dear God – some people
Hogwash! Declan don’t seem to mind too much. I’ve read shorter novels.
That tells me more about you than anything else 🙂