Declan Rice

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Because posters dont rate players who work hard and win the ball back. They want players who only give a shit when we have the ball and then do a stepover or two.

I don't agree with you here, elite teams have complete players who are top players both On and off the ball. We are struggling to build attacks from the back in a high press against elite teams and its down to not just defenders being not able to play but also players who are not known for their skills to help build from the back like Matic or Herrera, weather be a passing metronome or a dribbler box to box work horse who is equally good building attacks from the back is a necessity elite teams need to have in their arsenal to be elite teams in world football. Or it just counts as a sign of weakness high pressing teams just want to exploit and play aggressively against it knowing that the team struggles to build from the back.

He may be a decent holding midfielder for the Epl on general level but he will still get destroyed by top players on highest level and with a limitation of not being able to build dangerous attacks from the back, and for the price he will command it's not just worth it when he have a similar player Mctominay in our ranks already.

Rice is not mature and not the right choice to be partnered along side pogba who will make that midfield solid on the level we need while enhancing its creative qualities with the ball.
 
He is twice as big though. Physical assets are also part of the 'talent' package.
true that it's something to consider but it depends on the individual player

still cant get my head around the fact Mourinho had Fellaini, Zlatan, Bailly, Matic, Jones, Smalling, Lukaku, Pogba and other giants playing together in different combinations yet we were poor in attacking set pieces and relatively weak at defending them

height wouldn't be in the top 5 things I'd be looking for in a CM or DM

passing, pace, acceleration, reading the game, tackling, stamina, leadership skills all more important
 
I once heard the same thing said about James Wilson when compared with Kane...
You're right. Comparing established players to kids in our youth system who've never put in a comparable first team performance is completely unproductive. I saw a poster say Greenwood was a better prospect than Sancho not long since.
 
true that it's something to consider but it depends on the individual player

still cant get my head around the fact Mourinho had Fellaini, Zlatan, Bailly, Matic, Jones, Smalling, Lukaku, Pogba and other giants playing together in different combinations yet we were poor in attacking set pieces and relatively weak at defending them

height wouldn't be in the top 5 things I'd be looking for in a CM or DM

passing, pace, acceleration, reading the game, tackling, stamina, leadership skills all more important

It's not just height. It's his frame and size. Garner has the physique of an underfed teenager.
 
true that it's something to consider but it depends on the individual player

still cant get my head around the fact Mourinho had Fellaini, Zlatan, Bailly, Matic, Jones, Smalling, Lukaku, Pogba and other giants playing together in different combinations yet we were poor in attacking set pieces and relatively weak at defending them

height wouldn't be in the top 5 things I'd be looking for in a CM or DM

passing, pace, acceleration, reading the game, tackling, stamina, leadership skills all more important
Being over 6ft at DM is an advantage winning the ball though which is why so many DM's are. Getting the ball down from a goal kick or clearance is as good as a tackle.
 
I once heard the same thing said about James Wilson when compared with Kane...

You're right. Comparing established players to kids in our youth system who've never put in a comparable first team performance is completely unproductive. I saw a poster say Greenwood was a better prospect than Sancho not long since.

I'm just talking about talent alone, there are other factors to making it but based of what I've seen from both. I see more talent from Garner. That's all.
 
I see twice the talent in James Garner than I do this guy.

I agree with this. Rice is just pure destroyer that sits in front of defenders, he’s quick to react & good tackler. His passing ability is nowhere near to be called good enough. Garner is more similar to Carrick & Busquets, with talented passing & vision. If Rice is available for 40m at max (no adds on) then get him if Ole wants him but he’s just not worth more than 40m of player like De Jong cost 65m.
 
Rice can be a fantastic cover for our CDM and could also play as CB if needed. However, I prefer Neves. He is not outstanding, but he looks more talented than Rice.

Is there an experienced CDM that we could buy?
 
Not really convinced by him. Been watching a few games and his technical ability seems to be really lacking. It's more like having a 3rd CB rather than another midfielder with him and our team already lacks technical ability.
 
Not really convinced by him. Been watching a few games and his technical ability seems to be really lacking. It's more like having a 3rd CB rather than another midfielder with him and our team already lacks technical ability.
I’d actually buy him as a CB tbh. Think he’d be great there for us.
 
Not really convinced by him. Been watching a few games and his technical ability seems to be really lacking. It's more like having a 3rd CB rather than another midfielder with him and our team already lacks technical ability.

Exactly how I see it with him. He still smacks of a CB converted into a DM. He’s not what we need.
 
Exactly how I see it with him. He still smacks of a CB converted into a DM. He’s not what we need.
100%

People are just obsessing as he has a lot of “huff and puff” and seems passionate about West Ham.

He’d cost shedloads but isn’t really any better than dier.
 
Would you take him as a CB though?

I wasn’t impressed with him there last season as I felt he still looked really, really raw. However, after a season playing as a DM it’s evident that his overall game has progressed. Given our CB options, he would certainly make a case to get a chance there. I think he would certainly be a good squad option as a CB but he would cost far too much just to be an option there. If we were interested, we should really have bid when his contract situation was up in the air.
 
I wasn’t impressed with him there last season as I felt he still looked really, really raw. However, after a season playing as a DM it’s evident that his overall game has progressed. Given our CB options, he would certainly make a case to get a chance there. I think he would certainly be a good squad option as a CB but he would cost far too much just to be an option there. If we were interested, we should really have bid when his contract situation was up in the air.
Yeah, true. I think the price of CBs have gone through the roof anyway, so not really sure how much they expect him to cost - could be less compared to the options out there. Yeah, I’m not sure if people approached him then, but he may have signed it to allow West Ham a fair price, seeing as they are pretty responsible for his development. I think Pellegrini mentioned recently he wouldn’t stand in the way of players leaving for bigger clubs.
 
If we signed him as a CB, there is a much better option in West Ham's Diop.
 
------------------Fernandes----------------

---------Pogba------------------------------

--------------------Rice---------------------

Both Rice and Fernandes are hardworking while Paul can pull the strings.


love that midfield , Neves in the squad too and your looking at title challenging midfield right there.
 
Rice would be a good signing, he is more of anchor man in midfield doesn't over complicate things keeps it simple and ticking over. He has good defensive awareness so when our fullbacks push forward he can drop back into a back 3 if need be. Wouldn't overspend though
 
On a different note, was watching him and Ryan Fredericks doing one of those friendship tests. I thought the days of thick footballers had passed but these 2..
 
If we signed him as a CB, there is a much better option in West Ham's Diop.

Yeah Diop is an impressive athlete for sure. I’d say we’re looking for more of a character at the back, someone who will take charge of things. I do see other attributes with Rice and I certainly see him as a central defender in the none too distant future.
 
Rice would be a good signing, he is more of anchor man in midfield doesn't over complicate things keeps it simple and ticking over. He has good defensive awareness so when our fullbacks push forward he can drop back into a back 3 if need be. Wouldn't overspend though

Rice is probably one of the best young players at reading the game and break down counter-attacks. If he develops properly he can be an extremely good defensive midfielder. I saw some people saying Garner is twice the talent - they have different talents.

Garners range of passing is insane….it's almost Scholes-level. Rice is simply a different kind of player - and I would say that if Garner is a new Carrick, Rice is a new Hargreaves (the Hargreaves we saw before he got injured). What always amazed me about Hargreaves was how quickly he could put pressure on opponents with the ball - he read the game so well and was insanely quick over 5-6 meters. So when people say they would rather want Garner than Rice - I would want both in the same team .. :)
 
I don’t think he’s like for like. Longstaff is more of an 8. He has better passing range and scores goals. He’s adept at scoring long range shots.

He's only scored twice this season (his breakthrough season) and so has Rice. Are you talking about his time in the youth setup maybe?

edit: I see he scored 8 on loan for Blackpool
 
Positionally, having an anchor in midfield who is comfortable dropping into a back three is a great option if you want to have your FBs bombing on.

I like Rice, and I think it’s worth noting that he still has plenty of room to develop - I think that ultimately he will be able to do a solid job at CB, 6 or 8.
 
He's only scored twice this season (his breakthrough season) and so has Rice. Are you talking about his time in the youth setup maybe?

Rice has played far more games though. Think both his goals were headers from corners. Longstaff scored 9 on loan for Blackpool with a number of the being long range raspers

1.30mins on here



45secs on here



Start of this video



Rice is more of a DM, he was a centre back originally.
 
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Positionally, having an anchor in midfield who is comfortable dropping into a back three is a great option if you want to have your FBs bombing on.

I like Rice, and I think it’s worth noting that he still has plenty of room to develop - I think that ultimately he will be able to do a solid job at CB, 6 or 8.
That's really important if Ole is going to play a diamond formation with attacking fullbacks.
Would you prefer Rice over a deep-lying playmaker like Neves or a destroyer like Ndidi?
 
Rice is 100% what we don't need. Sign him and its like Schneiderlin all over. Very good at breaking up play at a lesser team but at United we normally have a lot more of the ball and Rice like Schneiderlin is nowhere near good enough on the ball...
 
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Rice is 100% what we don't need. Sign him and its like Schneiderlin all over. Very good at breaking up play at a lesser team but at United we normally have a lot more of the ball and Rice like Schneiderlin is nowhere near good enough on the ball...

Schneirderlin was pretty silky on the ball, he just wasn't good enough and I don't think he was mentally equipped for the challenge of playing for a big club, his France national team career even went to shit after he signed for united. I like the little i've seen of Rice, he's a different kind of player and its hard to believe he's only 20 as he's very mature on the pitch. You might be right though.
 
Depending on how much he'd go for he wouldn't be a bad Matic replacement.

I'd sign if we could get him for £45-50m.
 
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