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Twitter is awash with anger from some fans. But as is usually the case on that app there are plenty of people who are the other extreme and are calling him a club legend and saying that statues should be built.
Personally, and I don't mind admitting this, I do feel a bit angry. It's a bit like when a partner leaves you. Rice is my ex, Leanne. Arsenal are Tom, her work colleague that she definitely didn't cheat on me with, although she did go to a mutual friend's wedding with him about two weeks after we split up. You can draw your own conclusions (she definitely did).
Is Tom (Arsenal) bigger than me (West Ham)? Yes, he's about 6' 3" from the photos I saw. Is he likely to offer more money? Again, yes, at the time he was a senior Project Manager at a rival defence contractor. Did Leanne (Rice) think she could achieve what she wanted with Tom more than she did with? Evidently. But did she? No idea, actually. That was 15 years ago and I had no reason to keep in touch.
So as I had to endure seeing those photos of Leanne and Tom looking happy at Gemma's wedding, I now have to endure seeing Rice looking happy in an Arsenal shirt. And yes, I will probably feel as angry about Rice as I did Leanne (but with less crying and rum drinking).
But hey, 15 years on I'm very happily married with two wonderful sons and Leanne is but a memory. I have every confidence that we'll find a new love in midfield soon enough, and Rice will be just another ex that we'll collectively get over.
Arsenal may not be the guarantee of trophies we thought Dec would want, but they are a significant step up on us in terms of quality of player, where they are competing & recent silverware. He is going to be playing with players who are only going to make him better. He’s going to play with young players & he’s going to play in a side who have over 60% possession for most of the games they play & play some fantastic football. It will be a different challenge for him, & it’s no guarantee he will succeed or look as good as he does for us, but it’s a logical move for him at this stage of his career.
Many fans I spoke to felt the ECL win was enough to persuade him. I thought the opposite. That taste of glory & the celebrations that followed were only going to inspire him to want that more often, & then he immediately went off to England where he was around all the players at the top four clubs. It was going to be even harder to keep him after that.
It was meant to be. He was meant to leave on a high, it was how this chapter was meant to end. One thing is for sure, when he hangs up his boots the first thing he’ll think about is that ECL final win with West Ham.
I have no issue with people feeling angry; I just think it's a subconscious shift from them feeling sad.
So as long as the money is reinvested wisely then happy days 🤗
10 years at one club, five seasons in the first team, arguably the best player in all of those seasons, captain, leads side to European glory, first trophy in over 50 years.
I mean, if that is not worthy of legend, there aren’t going to be too many more West Ham legends created. You could argue that entire 2022/23 squad are ‘legends’ for bringing that trophy home.
West Ham have engineered this sale as much as anything. We offered Rice a contract no young player in their right mind is going to sign (8-year deal, no release clause) & now are in a position we need to sell him.
Never gave less than 100% in any game I saw regardless of whether it was his best or worst performance. Never pushed for moves in the last couple of seasons through the means many players do now, no press leaks, no refusing to play, no sulking. Has not even commented one word publicly whilst this whole process has been going on to try and pressure people. All he has done is refuse to sign a new contract and I let it be known he would like to play at a higher level and compete for trophies.
Should Dec not get a warm welcome back at the London stadium I really don't know how anyone could. Nobles and Gerrards are very rare, those players aside Dec has been foot perfect in my view. I can only wish him the very best in life and football.
But surely legends are few and far between because they are so special.
Bonds and Moore weren't legends because they lifted trophies. It was their career long influence, their commitment and their performances over a long period that made them so. In my life time only Brooking, Noble and Hurst can be added to the list.
Rice is a hero, no doubt, but not a legend.
Just saying….
For me it’s what you achieve over the period of time you are there. People call Di Canio a legend purely because he rejected Man Utd; he played nearly 100 games less than Dec.
I don’t particularly care whether he wins any more medals or not but I’m not going to hold it against him and I don’t think it’s that hard to tell why he’s chosen to go where he has.
Whenever he had the ball it got you excited as you knew something could happen
PDC 🙌🏻
Can't wait, to be honest. Hopefully once he's gone we can concentrate on bringing players in and planning for our season.
Chavs must be spewing
Make that a diamond lining.
What difference does it make where we are in the world to complete transfers?
I don't understand.
@IronHerb, Can you see us playing a possession based style of football? IF so there are a load of different footballers we should be looking at. 👍