Rice gives up captain’s armband

Sean Whetstone

3 years ago

Categories: News, Whispers

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.”