18 Comments

Moyes attack on Rice not right in this world or the next

I’ve just binned a piece I wrote on the David Moyes comments about Declan Rice’s boob for Arsenal’s second goal because I hadn’t seen the full transcript.

Having done so I’m disgusted: Here it is:

“Up until 81 minutes we were looking to be well worth of a point. We had defended well, we had our moments in the first half where Marko Arnautovic managed to get a shot away a couple of times but, we’ve all been young players and a young player has made a really poor mistake for the second goal.

I hope he learns from it because he has got big potential [Declan Rice] but I think it really flattened the team.

Then asked if there was a communication error he said?

No, I don’t think there was and anyway and if there was and you’re a centre half – and I have been one – the ball is played into the six yard box then the last thing you do is let the ball go. You talk about it after, you head it clear and to be fair, we had done most things well defensively. We had tried to be inch perfect trying to top Arsenal and we knew we had players who could cause them problems if we had enough of the ball.

 I happen to think that playing young centre halves is probably the hardest position on the pitch and I think Declan has done a really good job but today will be a learning curve for him and he has to show it doesn’t happen again.

Because if it does then you won’t progress, you have to do it, show you’re going to step up.

None of that is on..not in this world or the next and like Slaven Bilic before him when taking him off at Newcastle in one of the very early games  Moyes is the one who needs to be dug out very seriously.

The kid has been brilliant since he arrived – he makes yes, a serious error of judgement, but to be lambasted so publicly in great depth is unforgivable in my world. Dressing room words , yes, but not a public humiliation.

Of course Moyes needed to discuss such a vital moment but to use the words he did against an aspiring talent has me wondering about him in a big way.

Personally I only ever saw him as a short term choice and if he gets us clear of relegation for me that’s job done. We move on and find somebody who can combine defence with attack.

As a journalist mate mentioned this afternoon – playing the same way against Saints, Stoke and Arsenal just don’t seem right.

The crucifixion of Declan Rice by Moyes was despicable by anybody’s standards.

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

18 comments on “Moyes attack on Rice not right in this world or the next

  1. Rice, great player that he will no doubt become, made a monumental cock-up today which clearly deflated the whole team and cost us either one or possibly three points. Moyes just says it as it is and you call him despicable Hugh? About time we had a manager who called out these endless, costly individual errors which have cost us so many points this season.
    Stop your whining Hugh. Rice screwed up badly and will learn from it. He is now a professional, mixing with the big boys. So if it is Hart, Ogbonna, Antonio, Carroll or Rice, they all get called out when they cost us points by stupid individual errors, and man up and learn from it. He won’t duck out again in a hurry. Your defending the indefensible does neither Rice or Moyes any good.

  2. Totally agree with you Hugh. I would agree with jumbo if Moyes was prepared to criticise others, such as Hart, when they play badly. Instead it’s typical gutless bully boy behaviour. Poor man management. Taxi for Mr Moyes.

  3. Tbh It’s Moyes’ job to say it how it is. If he had said nothing or very little he wouldn’t be doing his job. Rice made a blunder and is fully aware of it now. Hopefully he has taken the criticism on board – I think he’s man enough to accept that ( even tho he’s only 19). He has been brilliant since getting in the team and has had heaps of praise. This was a rare (hopefully) mistake.

    One thing about Moyes’ comment was “we had too many forward players on the pitch”. Well whose fault is that? That’s got to go down as a managers error. Having said that I believe he is the man for the job at WHU. Who else would come here?

  4. Has anyone bothered to mention Arthurs equally awful defending the corner where he walked away from the ball and just let it go in?

    • He had a pony on an arsenal win mate Maybe? Worst player on the pitch with the defending of cresswell not far behind hasn’t a clue on how to defend either of them and never will.

  5. Having read Declans tweet about his mistake, he is fully aware of the size of clanger he dropped, has put it behind him and is readying himself to move on to the next game. That is a massive sign of one very honest & level headed 19yr old.

    Whether he gets called out in the dressing room or in public, i don’t think it is going to affect him. He knows what his done. He’s accepted it, taken it on the chin and learnt a massive lesson in the art of defending at the same time.

    I don’t think we have to worry about denting this lads confidence and i’m sure he’ll want to put all the wrong things right in the next game. Tough game to do it in though against a rampant Man City. I have no fear this lad will get over this very quickly.

  6. Couldn’t agree more Hugh good post my son absolutely disgusting to do in public what moyes said. Rice has been brilliant a couple of mistakes sure but generally I would say briĺisnt for 19. As for moyes thanks if we’re ok end of. There’s far better coaches out there so let’s start interviews end of season.

  7. Rice strikes me as a player that would rather have the mistake pointed out and take it on the chin and move on than be molly coddled.I hope he holds his place next week and continues learning.His tweet shows he is mature enough to deal with set backs Imagine what some of the prima donnas in the bigger teams would have done if they were criticised after a match.Pity Moyes wasnt as critical of Hart last week after the howler.Rice future captain in the making

  8. I’m with you on this one Hugh!
    Moyes behaviour reflects the action of a cowardly man looking for a scapegoat!
    Not good enough Mr. Moyes!
    In making his unnecessary attacking on Rice, he has split the fan base and probably split the dressing room at such a vital time.
    Common sense suggests, that Moyes could have had a words to Rice in the dressing room.
    Let’s set the agenda straight -after choosing a 3-4-2-1 formation, we were always going to be vulnerable in defense, and starting the game with Arnautovic alone up front, he reduced our chances, with our two midfielders out of sync.
    At another sire, I suggested a 3-5-2, starting with Lanzini and Chicharito; when Moyes made the right decisions, we looked terrific!
    On the day, perhaps a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 formation would have worked better, despite my ambivalence of playing with a lone-wolf striker.
    In fairness Moyes has done a fair job in rejuvenating our downhill slide. However, his formations are fairly predictable, and aside from hard work, I can’t
    see a lot of creativity.
    Moyes keeps boasting about his halcyon days at Everton, but after his attack on Rice, I have lost respect for him.
    Assuming that we make it through relegation, I feel that we are a better club for Moyes, including Lyall and Greenwood.
    On a positive notes, coach Wesley has done a terrific job with the Academy- playing fast open attacking football-reminds me so much of the great Ajax Amsterdam team of yesterday through to today, and close to total football; he surely deserves an award for his work.
    To be honest, I have more trust in Westley putting together a hybrid First team/Academy squad for next season, although I suspect the board may look for a big name manager.
    Sorry for the serve Mr. Moyes, but what you did to Rice is not the West Ham Way.

  9. Rice made an incredibly poor decision to duck under the ball. Hart made an error of technique. The two are vastly different kinds of mistake. If Rice had miss-headed into the net it would be comparable to Hart’s slip-up and unfortunate but barely worth a mention.

    Rice needs to know that his ridiculously bad piece of decision making cost the team points. I don’t think Moyes should do anything other than get it out in the open which he has done with gentle words pointing out the obvious. Top class football is not for for players that make stupid decisions like that during a key match. Most 11 year old’s know not to duck any balls in the 6m box.

    This is nothing like the Joe Hart error or the Sam Allardyce situation and Moyes is right and not at all out of order imo.

  10. My third attempt at answering this ridiculous story ( hopefully I won’t be deleted this time ).
    I agree with the people on here who are saying that Rice is old enough and big enough to take fair critisizm of his sunday park football error which cost us the game.
    Anyone watching would have been, like myself shocked and embarrased when he ducked under the ball, to give Arsenal an enormous lift when we had just scored to level the game and were looking good for at least a point.
    There; that is a wicked summary of what he did. Moyes just gave an honest view of what lost the game. I thought he was very kind in his assessment.
    At least Rice is being man enough to move on.

  11. Point is should he have done it publicly Sleep. It’s a dressing room issue anyway and in answering he needn’t have gone into such depth. You weren;t deleted

  12. I agree with those who say that while Moyes was right to criticize Rice it should have been in the dressing room and not in public – it is good to note that Rice has himself responded well to the criticism

    Perhaps Moyes is beginning to feel the pressure?

    While Sully has said how much he likes Moyes I seem to remember him saying that Slav needs until the end of the season and then firing him 3 matches later

  13. If Moyes did not slate him publicly, several people would have, and publicly at that! I’d still argue Moyes had an agenda calling him out like that: either to provoke a response from a strong and mature character (like he did Arnie early on), or to direct the criticism at himself. When it comes to the discussion with you journo friend, Hugh, complaining we “play the same way against xyz,” that is just BS. City plays the same way against all competitors and if you were asked how West ham should play, you would surely say “The West Ham Way!”

  14. Thanks for the troll comment CreweHammer, you’ll keep buddy!
    Whilst Moyes handling of Rice’s poor defending was spot on in my view, remember it is Moyes who has given him 20 PL appearances this season,resulting in Declan playing for ROI too. Moyes rates this lad, is trying to improve him and will get him a bumper contract. So hush the whining.
    If you are going to hammer Moyes, do it for not calling out Hart, Antonio, Carroll, Ogbonna and Creswell in the same way. All have made stupid mistakes which directly resulted in goals against and points lost. We are where we are in the league because of these endless, dopey personal errors which need to stop. So if they continue, as they have, call them out.

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