Simon Jordan and Danny Murphy clash live on air over Declan Rice’s West Ham United return
Simon Jordan and Danny Murphy have clashed live on air over how supporters should react to Declan Rice’s West Ham United return.
The Arsenal midfielder will make his first trip back to the London Stadium since making the switch to the Emirates this summer for £105million [Sky Sports, 17 July], with many debating what sort of reception he will receive from the home crowd.
Mikel Arteta had been quick to suggest he expected it to be a beautiful moment [Sky Sports, 31 October] and while Murphy agreed that the midfielder deserves praise from his former supporters, Jordan was less convinced that that was true.
Speaking on talkSport on Wednesday (1 November, 11:20) Murphy said: “Ultimately, what he did for the club was brilliant. He played all the games, he never left anything out there, he’s lifted a trophy which nobody had done in god knows how many years, if anyone deserves a decent ovation it’s him.”
Jordan quickly replied: “I think it’s a deal that worked for both parties. West Ham got a lot of money and he got to go where he wanted to go, so it’s one of those rare deals where it’s a quid pro quo. I don’t think he should either be booed or cheered.
“I think he did a great job at West Ham but what do you pay players to do then, a bad-bleeding job? His talent levels enabled him to excel at a club like West Ham, with that in mind should he have hidden his talent under a bushel?
“That was his talent level, so he did his job and this unnecessary sentiment of ‘he should be given a hero’s reception’ is not the case.”
To each their own
There is no right course of action for West Ham supporters to take when Rice returns to the London Stadium on Wednesday and realistically it is entirely up to each individual fan whether they want to boo or cheer or do nothing when their former captain enters the field.
It is more than likely that there will be a mix of all those reactions whenever Rice touches the ball against the Hammers and that is completely reasonable as every fan is entitled to their own opinion, even if the person next to them doesn’t agree.
For what it is worth, the England international has been incredibly complimentary about his time in East London and has repeatedly spoken highly of David Moyes, the supporters and the club as a whole and was incredibly successful during his time with the Irons.
He may not have departed in the most ideal of circumstances and supporters are entitled to be irritated by that decision, but there will be plenty who praise him on his return. As Jordan pointed out, the deal has proved to be an excellent switch for all parties and West Ham have built an excellent midfield in Rice’s absence.
In other West Ham news, Nigel Reo-Coker has labelled Moyes his own worst enemy after his recent decision at the London Stadium