Criticism of Declan Rice’s performance against Manchester City is grossly unfair

Why is it that we always have to put people down in Ireland?

Why is it that when someone is on the cusp of doing something a little bit different that a vast percentage of the population is quick to shoot them down and say that’s not the way you’re supposed to do it? Conor McGregor doesn’t conform to that Irish norm of being humble - or showing everyone that you're humble. He breaks the rules and doesn’t listen to the doubters or the naysayers that said to do it this way or that way. He didn’t listen to the people that said it’s a stupid idea to go into a ring with one of the best boxers of all time. He’s now $100m richer. In a different metric, Austin Gleeson is the same. When he was 21-years-old he won Player and Young Player of the Year. He won an All-Star. In 2017 he still produced magic yet after a quiet final he was criticised more than anyone else for supposedly not turning up. Conán Doherty wrote at the time of Gleeson:

“The man is 22. He had a quiet game in a final that Galway were much superior in. Anyone who thinks they can take a swipe at Austin Gleeson now is drastically premature and naively underestimating what's to come from the hand that genuinely sometimes seems to be touched by the gods. “Anyone who wants to see him fall just couldn't appreciate hurling in its purest, most ridiculous form. We're lucky to have Austin Gleeson.”

When someone gives us the highest of highs we seem to want to stay there all the time. When someone is showing promise we seem to build them up as the next big thing and expect constant perfection. We’re also guilty of thinking the grass is always greener on the other side, the other option of the unknown is better than the tried and tested. Declan Rice could be Ireland’s next big thing. He could be. Maybe he has slipped under the radar as a promising centre-back because it is the only position where Ireland are not particularly crying out for a new star. Shane Duffy is doing just fine. But - there’s always a but - it’s always great to have new talent coming through and the West Ham youngster is just that. Here we have an 18-year-old playing week in and week out for a Premier League side that has impressed thus far and after one below-par performance against the best side in the league under immense pressure, people start getting on his back. This is a lad who is barely old enough to take a drink playing against Manchester City and is hammered for a couple of mistakes. This is the team that has set a record tally in the Premier League. A team that has won all but one of their games so far this season. A team that put five bloody goals past Liverpool earlier in the season and now we’re in a position that we’re hammering an 18-year-old Irish lad for making a couple of mistakes away from home for the 19^th place team in the league against the table toppers. A talent like Rice should be nurtured, not hammered. One that the public should encourage and not put down for making little mistakes, let him learn from them. We’ll hopefully be in a position in a couple of years time when we say ‘Jaysus, Declan Rice is unreal’ but for now he needs the patience and support of the public.