Mark Noble declared himself “gutted” at failing to inflict a seventh successive defeat on Aston Villa at Upton Park this afternoon.
He realised that most approached the game seeing it as a home banker but said: “The Premier League is not like that. I’m gutted but at the same time it was an important point.
“We knew that Villa had some top players but we thought they would come and sit in order to frustrate us. We could have had three or four in the first half but it just wasn’t to be.”
Noble though was thrilled with Andy Carroll’s return – albeit for just a few minutes at the end – and said: “He’s been out for a long time but he showed he can create mayhem.
“He could have had three goals in three minutes and is a fantastic addition up front for us. He’s good in the air and good on the floor – we have a great front line of options.”
Fair enough, but what about the useless corners that he and Downing dished up all afternoon?
Surely there must be someone better at taking corners (and free kicks) than Mark Noble?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Mark Noble and I think he’s a fantastic player and a marvellous servant for West Ham – but him and corners are a disaster area!
…and running and passing and shooting…. so what makes a fantastic player if you can’t do any of the above ?