Hammers starlet Declan: I was hooked at half-time on Tyneside last season. It made me the player I am now, I’ve grown... literally
Hernandez Anderson
DECLAN RICE won’t be 21 for another 13 months but as a footballer he’s already come of age.
Last season he suffered the humiliation of being hooked at half-time as West Ham crashed to a familiarly heavy defeat at St James’ Park.
It could have proved a damaging day in his fledgling career. Instead, the experience was a watershed moment.
And the teenager who, along with Mark Noble, bossed the Newcastle midfield, looked transformed as the Hammers reversed that 3-0 scoreline with a commanding display.
“It made me into the person I am,” said Rice, whose burgeoning maturity in a West Ham shirt has coincided with a dramatic growth spurt since his last appearance in the North East.
“I’ve come on so much. You could see I am a different player to last year.
“You need one of those games in your career.
“It was only my third game in and I was gutted but it kicked me on for the rest of the season and I learned from my mistakes.”
It was the blistering pace of Felipe Anderson – who scored the goal he deserved at the death – and the poaching instincts of two-goal Javier Hernandez (scoring the first goal, below) which ultimately proved Newcastle’s undoing.
But the manner in which Rice went about his job in such determined, committed and unfussy fashion ensured the likes of Mo Diame, Kenedy and, when he came on, Jonjo Shelvey never gained a foothold.
Rice puts his progress as much down to his mental development as his imposing frame.
“I’ve shot up,” he added. “I’m 6ft 3in now.
“When I was in the academy at Chelsea, they did this test which told me the height I would be and it was spot-on. It means I can play at centre-back or in midfield.”
As for doing battle with more
WEST HAM’S Javier Hernandez has scored 48 Premier League goals with all of those strikes coming from inside the penalty area – only Tim Cahill (56) has scored more goals in the competition with 100 per cent of them coming from inside the box experienced players, he has a refreshing mindset. “I have come up against world-class players this year but it’s only a game of football,” said Rice, who is willing to meet new Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy before finally announcing his international future.
“I play the opponent, not the name on the shirt.
“If you get too caught up in who you’re playing against, it can faze you and you end up having a bad game.”
West Ham’s dreadful start to the campaign (they lost their first four Premier League matches) feels a long time ago now but not quite as long as the last time they won back-to-back league games.
That was in January last year but full-back Pablo Zabaleta believes that, with winnable home fixtures against Cardiff and Crystal Palace this week, the Hammers can kick on now.
“What we really need is to win two or three games in a row,” he said. “Nine points in a week is what we want and this is a big chance for us but we know it depends on us.”