The irony of West Ham getting relegated on the same day that former Hammers captain Declan Rice lifted his first trophy since Prague -this time with north London neighbours Arsenal – was not lost on Hammers fans.
The viral video that showed the moment Rice heard of West Ham’s fate whilst waiting for his own trophy presentation illustrated a genuine upset for his former club’s demise, surprising many Hammers supporters, me included, who’d have though he’d be solely focussed on the moment with his Arsenal buddies and supporters.
The West Ham sentiment seems to run far deeper in Rice’s psyche than many of us give credit. In an Instagram post today, Rice has laid his feelings out very clearly – even risking rebuke from his Arsenal admirers -but nonetheless, pretty plain:
“I will be supporting always”.. Ok, so the font looks more like an obituary card, but we get the idea.
Brings a teeny lump to the throat: Considering Dec will be focussing on the Champions League final next weekend, Kudos to the man. He didn’t need to post any of that.
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I look forward to the day when we get to ‘welcome’ him to London Stadium again. With comments like that, even if he rocks up in the red and white of Arsenal he’ll likely be muting some of the boos and receiving the same kind of welcome that Hammers fans reserved for Joe Cole after his sale to Chelsea : I remember Joe secretly applauding the Bobby Moore stand as he stepped up to take a corner, despite wearing the blue of Chelsea.
Joe Cole: Another big departure who ‘came back’ to east London towards the end of his career: Never say never.