Declan Rice pledges future to England

[mightyspur]

its only football, Rice is English, is a Londoner, should never played any games for Ireland.

Easier though innit. Even I got called up for the ROI.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

its only football, Rice is English, is a Londoner, should never played any games for Ireland.

Yeah I don't see what the big deal is - happens all the time in Rugby and no one gives a f*ck

 

[Dougal]

its only football, Rice is English, is a Londoner, should never played any games for Ireland.

I’m amazed Brexit is happening at all with this widespread tolerance of immigrants and their descendants.

 

[al_pacino]

I'm in the once you've played you've made your choice camp but I do wonder what the reaction would be if Rice turned down his original Ireland call up and said he wasn't sure who to play for and chose to play for Ireland now, would he be getting stick for only choosing Ireland because he couldn't get into the England team?

 

[Dougal]

I'm in the once you've played you've made your choice camp but I do wonder what the reaction would be if Rice turned down his original Ireland call up and said he wasn't sure who to play for and chose to play for Ireland now, would he be getting stick for only choosing Ireland because he couldn't get into the England team?

I think once you say you’re not sure you actually are sure but you’re actially wondering how to break the news. Going by recent experience. That said there was some little doubt over Mick O’Bafemi but once the news is announced there’s always reassurances that the decision was never in doubt. He didn’t take half as long as Rice to face up to it either.

 

[Blockbuster]

Does Grealish get the same stick as Rice?

2011–2012Republic of Ireland U17 7 (3)
2012–2013Republic of Ireland U18 6 (2)
2013–2014Republic of Ireland U21 6 (1)
2016–2017England U21 7 (2)

 

[DJS]

Does Grealish get the same stick as Rice?

2011–2012Republic of Ireland U17 7 (3)
2012–2013Republic of Ireland U18 6 (2)
2013–2014Republic of Ireland U21 6 (1)
2016–2017England U21 7 (2)

I think the argument on here tends to be Rice played for the senior side, although personally I feel Grealish and McClean (who I mentioned above) are just as bad for switching.

 

[Japhet]

I think once you say you’re not sure you actually are sure but you’re actially wondering how to break the news. Going by recent experience. That said there was some little doubt over Mick O’Bafemi but once the news is announced there’s always reassurances that the decision was never in doubt. He didn’t take half as long as Rice to face up to it either.

Brilliant name! Bit like Tonto Nagasaki.

 

[Dougal]

Does Grealish get the same stick as Rice?

2011–2012Republic of Ireland U17 7 (3)
2012–2013Republic of Ireland U18 6 (2)
2013–2014Republic of Ireland U21 6 (1)
2016–2017England U21 7 (2)

Rice playing 3 times at senior level is really what gets to most people although Grealish would have had a few caps now if he didn’t jump ship as he got a call up. He at least had the good sense to turn it down as he was still unsure.

 

[nailsy]

I heard somewhere that the night Rice made his debut for England it meant there were four England players in the squad who could have played for Ireland by direct descent.

Sterling is the only player in the squad who wasn't born in England though, and he's lived over here since he was five. Maybe some of those players might have a parent or grandparent who is Irish, but that doesn't make the player Irish. My Dad is Irish, but I can't say that I feel Irish. I always want them to do well when they play, but there's no doubt I'm English. By the way eight of the current Republic of Ireland squad were born in England. I'd love to know how many of those players felt Irish before they were called up to represent Ireland and how many just thought it was a good opportunity. We all know that every national team does the ame thing though. England would have loved to get Bale or Giggs in the squad, even though they are both Welsh. We picked Hargreaves even though he was born in Canada and had never played fur an English team.

The world is full of migrants these days so we're going to get more and more of this in the coming years. I do think the rules need looking at. It seems wrong to me that a child can represent a country that he might not have ever lived in or possibly ever visited (I'm not suggesting that's the case for Rice) and that some players seem to get international call ups so early in their career just to try and tie them to a nation.

 

[spursfan77]

Will West Ham cash in on him in the summer?

Maybe if Man City or some bids £60 million perhaps?