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Rice gives up captain’s armband

Photo of Sean Whetstone Sean Whetstone | 13:13 12/12/20

Declan Rice handed over the captains armband to Mark Noble after the 33-year-old came on an 84th-minute substitute for Said Benrahma.

Despite there being only six minutes of normal time Rice followed protocol by giving up his skipper’s armband to his elder teammate.

That wasn’t the case when Noble came on as a last-minute substitute at Bramall Lane a few weeks ago.

While Mark Noble remains the official club captain, it is Rice who has mostly led the Hammers on the pitch to a top-six place and it would have been a massive gesture if Nobes had refused the captain’s armband as he did against Sheffield United a few weeks ago.

I am sure it is all amiable and there no hard feelings but from an outside supporter perspective, it seems strange that the young captain who has done all the work on the pitch has to give up his armband in the final six minutes of a game.   Respect and protocol have a place in the beautiful game but that would be a two-way thing.

Yesterday the Evening Standard said David Moyes has no plans to hand Declan Rice the West Ham captaincy on a permanent basis and Mark Noble will retain the armband despite his lack of game time. Noble has started just one Premier League game for the Hammers all season — their opening-day defeat by Newcastle — and Rice has been the skipper in his place. “Mark is the team captain, club captain and while he is not in the first XI, Declan will take over,” said Moyes. “I see Declan as the future, as I’ve said many times. He carries it well for such a young man and trying to take responsibility as well.

“But the person who has been carrying West Ham for the past five, six years has been Mark and he continues to do so. He’s a really impressive leader and I’ve got no plans to take that away from him.”

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Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball,

I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh.

Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons!

Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

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0 comments

  • rowelly says:
    December 12, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    His impact as substitute yesterday was……… a booking! Moyes reaction to Mark Noble reaffirms my belief that Moyes has been very lucky this season. If Noble hadn’t been injured then he would still be in the team and we would be in the middle of a relegation scrap. He had 10 minutes to run his socks yesterday, but once again I see a player who jogs around with no purpose telling people what to do. Wait until either Rice or Soucek get injured. MN will be there and will not be dropped no matter what our results.

    • Hugh5outhon1895 says:
      December 12, 2020 at 3:25 pm

      So why hasn’t he played him since he’s been fit and i covered your point anyway

    • Good Ole Daze says:
      December 12, 2020 at 5:11 pm

      I can’t agree that Moyes has been lucky this season. With the exception of the Newcastle game, I think the post-lockdown progression has been on an upward curve built on good man-management, an on-field strategy that gets the most from our squad, improved fitness and a team-spirit built by Moyes and his backroom team. That’s not luck. That’s good management.

  • GaryD says:
    December 12, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    Oy Yoi rowelly. It was a class act by Rice and that is all.

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