It’s hard to be critical after another three points on a night when Mark Noble showed real England class.
BT Sport’s Robbie Savage is a pretty harsh critic at times but even the Welshmsn made it clear Nobes should get a call-up and added Aaron Cresswell to the mix.
Back to that later but for all the comprehensive second half performance and two great goals against Villa, there remain some cracks which we mustn’t paper over.
In fact – one crack – and it’s been there for most of the season; this slow starting business which allows lesser teams to dominate us when they really have no right is annoying and frustrating.
Before the total Villa shambles involving Jordan Ayew we were allowing the worst team in the division to carry the game to us with real purpose. We weren’t at the races AGAIN.
Thankfully it made little difference when we stepped up in the second half but you have to wonder why it took us 45 minutes to get to grips with a side that – come on let’s be honest – were there for the taking.
It’s happening too frequently but once it is corrected we are going to be one hell of a side.
The second half showed us again that once we hit our tempo there are very few teams in the land that can stop us – we were excellent and the two goals were of the highest calibre.
Noble’s diagonal ball and the power generated by Antonio for the first was stunning whilst Kouyate’s clincher was a demonstration of our pace, power and fitness.
As for the England debate and the skipper; personally I believe he will need to show that sort of form for the rest of the season if he’s to seriously catch Woy’s attention.Having said that, at his very best, yes he deserves a shot as indeed does Cresswell.
The slow starting thing is annoying and irritating but truth is it is not stopping our momentum in what’s becoming a momentous season.
It would just be fantastic to see 90 minutes of us at our absolute best rather than 45 as has been the case on various occasions.
COYI
The day i start taking notice what that buffoon says is the day the men in white coats are needed for me…… just take one look at him says everything you need to know.
Really. He’s been a mate for years and is a very good lad. Did very well as a player with limited resources and made a career for himself in the media with great success. Good luck to him.
That is what makes life interesting hugh, difference of opinion.
you say good lad, i say ……….. ;-p
Difference is I know him and how kind he’s been to my family
I’m sure he is hugh, i can only judge him from my armchair & what he says. Example of which…. Suzi Quatro comes across nice on tv/radio in real life complete cow.
Sav’s a good lad and doesn’t play guitar or sing rock n roll 🙂 I am not sure we should adopt such extreme views from an armchair!
Some of the passes last night from Our Captain Mark Noble were as described Stunning! and still on another popular Hammers forum the anti-Noble few were out, which I find as unbelievable! they complain he is slow, did they ever watch Bobby Moore, I never saw him move fast, it was what he did with the ball, and how he slowed the game down at times. I do fell strong about how Mark has been treated by England, come on other players have been given chances when playing at his standard. It was a pleasure last night to see two local players through our youth system do well, Noble and James Tomkins, they both wear their hearts on their sleeves, in a premiership were it is more acceptable to be foreign than local born players, not knocking the talent in our team from abroad, but never ignore the youth of the local area! or we may as well forget about an England team.
here here too much rubbish talked against these damn good products of our youth team.
well done Robbie Savage.
He has noticed what the anti-Noble freaks amongst us can’t yet see; that Noble is a very decent player despite being English and from our youth team.
The slow start is certainly a problem which needs fixing asap, but on the good side, who can denie that Antonio is becoming a snip at 7 million?
In the 2nd half noble prob had one of his best games this season. Song on the other hand didn’t. Noble’s pass for Antonio’s goal was pin point. Was he lucky he stayed on the pitch?? A couple of rash tackles he got away with. A worthy man-of-match award. Proof that there are good english player who dont play for the ‘big’ teams. Him with Cresswell should be given a chance.
Another spot on post again Hugh.. Theres always been Nobes Knockers and yeah sometimes he falls short !! don’t we all.
I’m Defo with you on this slow starting It really frustrates me.. Look how we started against City.kept them on the back foot ! We started slow against Newcastle and they punished us, I was beggining to think this game was going the same way til the stupid action by Ayew, and the second half display was good, AND we need to play Payet down the middle not out wide. COYI
That was a big factor last night ! Payet was being relayed upon to create everything and villa snuffed him out , he was no use on the left at all , he needs a free 10 role to perform ! Our midfield needs to be more creative and not rely on payet !!!! Noble stepped up in the second half and helped in that dept , the quicker lanzini gets back the better , and the quicker we send moses back the better to !
How can noble be compared to Moore !!! Baffeling ? Like it or not noble is not consistent and is off the pace ! He tries to compensate for this by standing off from his opponent , he never man marks to stop an opponent from playing ! The reason is he can be turned with pace .!!! Yes I am a critic but I am also proud when he performs , he needs to be consistent ! As stated . If he can , then he gets a thumbs up if he can’t he gets analysed like everyone else , because he is home grown does not make him exempt from his performances , for this team to move forward we must be honest , if not it becomes a farce . Song requires to many touches , Collins was close to brain dead red card and kouyate was playing like a centre forward ? Start like that a the saints and Austin will have a field day !!!! Wakey wakey !!
No one saying Nobes cant be critisiced but some don’t even give him his dues when he does play well.
I thought his first half performance was poor, if he played like that for England he would be slaughtered and probably subbed. His 2nd half was so much better and he really stepped up the anti. That was a captains performance but probably needed the half time break for Bilic to emphasis this.He and Song were in each others way playing the same role. Be interesting who starts Saturday. Kouyate looked shattered at the end can’t see him playing both that game and Liverpool. Cullen is the nearest we have to him but not sure he’ll get the chance.
Noble, Song and Obiang doesn’t work as they are to similar.
Agree completly about papering over the cracks and starting slow Hugh, I think part of the problem is that he we have one major way of attacking and that is by countering in order to counter you need to invite the other team onto you and this is the problem against teams with lower confidence, they are used to being outplayed and pushed back for the most part, where in general we want to invite them forward so we can exploit the space behind, its not a sensible mix and something we do need to work on, we need to be able to also press teams high up the pitch and play through them with fast, incisive short passing and 1 2’s, Leicester have that ability which is probably why they are leading, they can counter, play with minimal posession but they can also break down stubborn defences through clever quick passes, they were brilliant last night. I am happy that we won but as you say, we need to address those weaknesses to push on.
Oh and on the subject of Nobes for England, he should have had his chance a few years ago, if only as a reward for everything he did for England at all levels upto full international, much as I would agree with a friendly appearance, he is close but just below the level in my opinion of what we have. The way Antonio is playing he should be in with a shout for the England squad as should Cresswell.
Noble is a good club player butnot special in any way,he got the arm band because he is a home boy and English,I am not knocking him but he is a squad player who has had more bad then good games this season in which we are having a cracker,
England Quality just like Savage NO,maybe he has Welsh grand parents because we already have enough middle of the road English midfielders like Henderson or Roy’s favourite for some reason Milner,
But if it’s Ali or Delph or our Nobes sorry on even in the squad not knocking just my opinion,
But then I want England to win and play entertaining football
I have been saying for years that Nobes should play for England. I just don’t understand the knockers; he does make the odd mistake; that is because he does about 3 times as many touches as others! He’s better than Delph.
These slow starts are a worry. 1st min we were brilliant. Then for the next 16 we were terrible; completely handed the initiative to Villa. Let’s hope we recreate the City performance for the Soton + Liverpool games.
Antonio is starting to look like our no 1 striker. Just gets better and better; great attitude too. Liking him big time!
He is better than Delph,are you for real,
England are like us you can’t just have one player who can make killer passes,
If you don’t have that ability then you need speed like Sterling,Walcott,Oxlaide,
Or you need to be a ball winner and capable of making players like Payet out of the game,
Again not marks thing or pass the bal forward like Beckham again not marks thing,
Sorry having a big heart and being able to convert a Pen does not make you a international
But that does not make him a good club player which he is,
With Sakho or Arroll back Valencia,Antonio or Lanzini in the team plus Payet or Lanzini,
Kouyate is a must so that leaves little chance for mark with Song and Obiang looking for that place as well
Defence splitting passes? Shelvey!….Noble and Shelvey: yes please!
(Noble and Shelvey: yes please!…for 3 Lions…or better still WHU AND 3 Lions (but considering Shelvey has just gone to Newcastle, that ain’t gonna happen….but I am not complaining….We got Payet, Dimitri Payet…..and the Jewel….AND MARK NOBLE! Happy days. Happy Hammers! COYI!
You cant be serious Sleeps! Anti Noble Freaks?….you got to be joking!!!
For your information, Noble found a team at his level to boss (a very poor team on its way down, and which has been propping the table for an eternity), and he could only boss the in the second half after they had been reduced to 10 men for that matter.
Now all of a sudden Noble is national team material…..HEHEHE!!!!
Noble freaks never cease to amaze me!!!!
Great England match 10 minutes Shelvey red card for elbowing player for no reason,
20 minutes Noble second yellow for late tackle,
England loose 2-0 to Malta ,
Roy gets the sack so Milner announced international retirement,
Good news Westham win first title
Sunderland sack Hippo when relegates to 2 division
Liverpoor sack Klopp when relegated to championship,
Come on be serious Mark is a club player and yes so is Selvey and Henderson,