Mark Noble passed his 32nd birthday on Wednesday and is looking for a late present in the form of three points in the final game of the season at Watford tomorrow (Sun).
His form has been nothing short of outstanding over the last few games and the end of season is clearly coming at exactly the wrong time for him (and us).
Some months ago ‘The Ginger Pele’ commented that he didn’t believe the captain would have a long term future under Manuel Pellegrini.
Wrong!
Many of us have wondered for a long time whether the writing was appearing on the wall for the long-serving Nobes but the player has erased every word of it with a series of terrific displays as the team has settled into the Pellegrini pass and move game which clearly suits him much better.
We have plenty of competition for places in midfield but the captain’s form has made him a fixture over recent games and when subbed the fury has shown as he made his way to the dug out.
And writing in his London Evening Standard column as the season heads into the last 90 minutes he said: ”
“Sunday sees the final game of my 15th season in the first team at West Ham, I celebrated my 32nd birthday on Wednesday and I have to say I’m feeling brand new.
“The team are playing really well, we’ve taken seven points from the last nine and there’s a part of me that doesn’t want the season to end. Then again, a couple of defeats and everything can change.
“At the moment, everything is good. You come into training, you have breakfast with the lads, everyone is buzzing and it’s a good place to be.”
“Looking back over this season, I believe it’s been really productive. I see what happens at the Club day in and day out and the way everything is organised now has been a big plus.
“On the pitch, too, the style of football we’ve tried to play has been positive. Yes, we’ve lost games, but the approach has always been to try to win. I think the fans have appreciated that, especially at places like Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs.
“After the first four games of the season, I thought we were bang in trouble, although even then I believed in the players we had. Then we had a bad run of injuries, up to nine or ten at one stage, which proved really difficult.
“Of our 49 points, we’ve picked up 31 at home and that has contributed to what I believe has been a good season. Beat Watford and we could finish ninth.”
9th might be a push after Chelsea’s extra time but let’s aim to win and see where we finish COYI !!!
It’s been a decent season and great not to be fearing relegation for most of it. We have slightly underperformed because, according to wage spend, we should finish eighth. Noble is a good player and why some fans give him stick is beyond me. We need the same commitment and intensity from the rest.