A Declan Rice interview after the Brighton defeat has riled some West Ham fans as an emotional captain says ‘We’re not Man City’.
West Ham slipped to the bottom of the fledgling table as they suffered a third consecutive Premier League defeat in a 2-0 home loss to bogey side Brighton.
The Hammers were poor in a 3-1 win over Viborg in the Europa Conference League in midweek too.
But the loss to the Seagulls saw West Ham hit a new low in terms of performance levels.
West Ham’s form has fallen off a cliff since last November with the exception of some memorable Europa League nights.
The Hammers were booed off at half-time and full-time having been painfully goaded by the visitors with cheers of ‘ole’ as Brighton passed the ball for fun around West Ham’s half-hearted efforts.
There have been legitimate concerns for some time that the team has been somewhat worked out.
There is no sign of the combinations and patterns of play which made the east Londoners such tough opposition in recent seasons.
Skipper Rice has set ridiculously high standards with his performances for club and country. If any player is allowed a rare off day, it is him.
But there is no hiding the fact Rice has started the season slowly and had what was surely his worst game for West Ham against Brighton.
Rice was criticised by some fans who accused him and others of going through the motions in their latest defeat.
Declan Rice interview riles some West Ham fans as emotional captain says ‘We’re not Man City’
After the game a Rice interview riled some West Ham fans as the emotional captain says ‘We’re not Man City’.
While some supporters saw no problem with Rice being honest and fronting up, many feel his comments were unambitious, defeatist and indicative of a a negative mindset in a team that has won just three matches since February.
“Obviously the booing is tough to hear, you know,” Rice said after the game.
“Because we’re not Man City, let’s be real. We’re not going to win the Premier League but what we’ve done the last two years is obviously (raise) the expectations of the fans.
“And we expect that of ourselves.”
Rice has been a beacon of hope for West Ham for so long. And we should welcome players speaking openly, honestly and from the heart.
But as captain he needs to perhaps think about things more carefully. It is the start of the season and fans want to hear positive statements from their leader.
Many West Ham fans feel Rice has got this one wrong.
Hammers fans are well aware that “we’re not Man City” don’t worry about that.
But does that mean we can’t lay a glove on Brighton? Newcastle had a right go at Man City after West Ham’s defeat to Brighton.
It was in stark contrast to the passive, lethargic effort the Hammers put in against the defending champions on the opening day.
While nobody here is condoning booing the team, this isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to three defeats. This has been building for some time. West Ham have been sleepwalking into this situation since last November.
The Hammers are the only team in England not to have scored a single goal so far this season too.
There is a malaise at West Ham – Moyes has admitted as much himself – and Rice needs to attack it with a different attitude.
If he wants to be a future England captain then he needs to learn from this. And quickly.
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