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Hug between boss and skipper tells you everything

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cummingsCandH blogger Allen Cummings reckons he knows the player that has made the difference in our recent revival declaring: “He’s always had claret and blue coursing through his veins.”

Saturdays certainly don’t get much better than the last one. Our superb away victory was everything we could have asked for – and more.

Our new defensive solidarity has been receiving most attention recently but on Saturday it was the Arnie and Manu double act that  grabbed the headlines.

However, I believe the real catalyst for our upturn in recent form could be the man who started the ball rolling on Saturday with a goal of opportunism and great aplomb, captain Mark Noble.

20180115_112209The hug between Moyes and Noble captured on screen at the end said it all for me. The relationship between the two is genuine. The cause is shared. The determination to succeed is obvious.

Fitting perhaps that on Saturday the two of them also shared special, personal recognition. Moyes joining that elite band of manages (Ferguson, Wenger and Redknapp) who have recorded 200 Premier League victories, while Noble reached the milestone of scoring his 50th career goal.

Off the field the newly-formed partnership between Moyes and Stuart Pearce was welcomed by the majority of supporters  but the partnership between Moyes and his captain is proving equally as vital.

Those of us who have watched Nobes throughout his career were appalled by the disgraceful abuse he was receiving from certain sections of ‘fans’, particularly on social media, earlier in the season. Not just criticism of his performances and suggestions his legs had gone. But personal abuse, too. It was disgusting.

Nobes was clearly being asked to play in a certain way by Slaven Bilic. It wasn’t working and the player was coming under merciless criticism because of it. Under Moyes Noble is playing differently. He is still being asked to win the ball, as he’s always done, but now he’s using it quicker and in a more direct way.

The team are being fashioned accordingly. The slow, slow build-up of the Bilic era has gone. This Moyes’ team is being crafted to attack on the break, and Noble is benefiting hugely because of that.

Every good manager knows he needs a leader on the pitch – a motivator, a player in his mould and mindset, someone who has genuinely bought into his philosophy and is determined to see it through.

Moyes has found that man in Noble. The skipper has always had claret and blue blood coursing through his veins. He hurts when we hurt, which is why he must have been bitterly wounded by the treatment he was getting.

Now he’s back, playing with a smile on his face, and helping in a huge way to put the smiles back on our faces, too.

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

0 comments

  • Lazurus. rises like a salmon says:

    Luvly bloke , a hammer at heart but simply not prem standard , when new blood comes in he’s benched or moves on. ! Some should read the book football for dummies ! It will run you through the basics step by step 😀! No offence intended but as a coach I’m not having that he’s been our catalyst , or all the other accalaides, dream on lads I just don’t see it. Spuds goal and Huddersfield’s goal down to him and cresswell ! Both need moving aside for Cullen and rice , if no signings come in Jan . 👎
    He’s been bang average but defiantly not Carling 😉

    • bubbles says:

      Spot on Laz …100 % accurate assessment .

      COYI

    • Hammersone says:

      Lazurus you must either be completely clueless or on Valium again? Which one is it..Go on just admit Noble is playing well..just be honest or are you not man enough? Same goes for bubbles..Hugh was critical but has at least held his hands up..you both need to do the same..

  • West Ham Fan No 32 says:

    He is WHTID I think the post is effusive in nature probably way over the top but that’s ok the criticism of Noble was also way over the top. For me he has shown what he has done throughout his career an ability to bounce back, he is playing a lot better in a team that puts defence first, with compressed lines his inadequacies are masked, that is smart management by Moyes and I agree with Allen his return has been a catalyst, well done Nobes COYI!!!

  • Hammer64 says:

    I am with you on this one Hugh. I think he was not fully recovered from his op earlier in the season. Also he said something revealing in an interview about Moyes ‘making it clear to players what their jobs are’. I think Bilic was very much like Grant in his belief that players should work out for themselves what to do. The result was there for all to see.

    Like all of us time will catch up with Noble & he probably does not have long left at this level, but I agree he was unfairly written off a bit too soon.

  • Great blog Al. The abuse was seriously out of order. He’s so improved under the new boss. I for one am really pleased for him. And that’s from one who thought it was WHUFC career over.

  • bubbles says:

    Much better recently but still no where near good enough . He is still too slow and the pace of the league leaves him floundering . Took his goal well but his passing is way off the mark . We need a mobile ball winning holding midfielder with presence and for sure it is not Noble .

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