Whatever anybody may feel about Mark Noble’s abilities as a player in 2020, anybody who questions his attitude and character is way out of order.
Like every player his contribution to individual games is questioned and rated but would always get a ten out of ten for commitment – there is simply no player in the club who cares more.
His service to the club is extraordinary in times that couldn’t be more different to those of former heroes such as Mooro, Sir Trev and all the rest when -unlike today – players tended to stay for much longer with their clubs.
Nobes spoke out after the FA Cup defeat making it clear that nobody should be relying on him in certain games these days given his age.
His honesty is admirable and now he has spoken out again about how the fans were “incredible and stuck by the boys” despite being given nothing to cheer about on Saturday.
Next up is Liverpool and he knows what is required and makes it clear he continues to believe in the players and their abilities.
Commenting at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2020/january/26-january/noble-west-brom-was-nowhere-near-good-enough-and-we-need-buck he said: “There were just under 60,000 here for an FA Cup game. The fans were incredible and stuck by the boys but we didn’t give them anything to cheer about in the first half.
“The second half was a lot better, but still we lost the game and that’s all that matters.
“To be honest, it was nowhere near good enough for the standard we’re at. To be in an FA Cup tie at home against West Brom and perform in the way we did in the first half was not good enough for this football club.
“What I will say is we have a game on Wednesday and we need to buck our ideas up because they are pretty good!”
“When the team performs like that, and I’ve said to the players in there, we’ve changed managers and we have to look at ourselves, nobody else,” the skipper continued
“We have to look ourselves in the mirror and say did I give enough today? Did I work hard enough, was I good enough? The answer for me was no.
“Believe me, I’m feeling the pain. At the age of 33 in May you’re looking to enjoy the last couple of years of your career, but when you’re fighting relegation battles, trust me it’s not enjoyable.
“With Liverpool at home on Wednesday, then Brighton on Saturday, it’s going to be tough. It’s a relegation battle, there’s no denying it, we need to win five or six games to give us a chance of being safe.
“The players are at this level for this reason and confidence is a massive thing. I believe in every single one of them [to turn this this around].”
coming after his interview where he spoke plainly.
This one seems like a required response.
His attitude against Ogbonna at Palace can certainly be questioned. As can his part in getting Pellegrini out and Moyes back in. Noble always gives 100 pct on pitch, but for last 4 years under 3 different managers, but with the same captain the dressing room seems to be permanently split. Good to see him applauding the fans though, rather than assaulting a peaceful pitch protestor
Is Noble the problem. Under his captaincy the dressing room for last 4 years has been fractious. His attitude towards Ogbonna at Palace was out of order. His ability as a Premier League footballer is no longer of required standard and his lack of pace and speed in moving ball is destroying us. Do the rest of squad think Noble is unfairly favoured and this is contributing to the general malaise in the team
Hammero, I’m sorry but you’re talking nonsense. I think you’re on a wind up possibly..Noble captained us to our greatest season for years not so long ago at Upton Park. The players in general are not up to anything better. That is not nobles fault. As for the fan that came on the pitch I would have done the same. What good is fans coming on the pitch when we are trying to win a game of football.
well said
Two comments posted. Two removed. Have i upset someone with my opinion on Noble
We have some moderators who approved posts.
Posts that are spam, swear or that are abusive are removed, it has always been the same.
I will will review and release any that dont break these rules
If Nobes had WHU best interest at heart, he would look at his own performances and admit he is not up to it at this level.
He made a point very close to that after the match
But who else have we got at the moment, Martin? The midfield cupboard is bare – a situation that MP addressed by signing Sanchez. I think we should have retained some of our u23’s that have gone out on loan, so unless we make the signings we need, we are down to our bare bones. Mark Noble has loads of miles on the clock in the service of West Ham, always gives his all out on the pitch but is clearly in need of a rest. He is not the cause of our current situation.