By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings
Under normal circumstances when David Moyes withdrew Mark Noble from the action in the 87th minute of Sunday’s final game against Aston Villa, it would have been seen as a deliberate move by the manager to afford his skipper a personal show of appreciation from what would have been a packed London Stadium.
It was the perfect opportunity in the last game of the season for West Ham fans to show just how much they valued the job the captain had done over the last five weeks of intense football.
Sadly there wasn’t a fan in sight inside the ground to respond but that shouldn’t be allowed to detract from Nobes’ achievement, or from the debt we owe him.
There is no doubt our great escape is down to a magnificent team effort, plus several individual starring roles, but as captain Mark Noble has been a massive influence and driving force.
While Villa captain Jack Grealish may have attracted most of the headlines, David Moyes will know his skipper has been every bit as influential for the Hammers in this club’s survival. But he’s done it without the fanfare – which is very much the Mark Noble way.
When Project Restart kicked off, there were some who thought Noble might only be playing a ‘bit part’ in games, with Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice as the preferred pairing in the middle of the park.
But Moyes knew the true value of his skipper, both on and off the pitch, and was determined to use him in both, an opinion, incidentally, shared by Terry Westley on Claretandhugh a few weeks ago. As Moyes said after the match on Sunday: “We needed the group, we needed the team spirit behind the scenes as well, and we needed them all put together.”
In other words we needed Mark Noble involved. While it was obvious to Moyes the legs of Soucek and Rice were vital – the experience and influence of Nobes’ out there on the park was just as important. Consequently together with his coaching staff he created a new role for the captain. It couldn’t have worked better!
It’s ironic that amongst those final frantic games Mark achieved what is almost unheard of these days, a player completing 500 appearances for one club, a throwback, for those of us with long memories, to a certain Billy Bonds, a captain who lead by example, was fiercely competitive and played with his heart on his sleeve.
Like Bonzo, Noble is a dedicated family man, and off the field and a great ambassador for the club -a manager’s dream in other words – never attracting unsavoury headlines, never courting personal publicity. Just doing his job with least fuss but most effect!
Typical of Nobes was his comments following that 500th game. “To be honest it made me a little bit emotional reading what ex-pros and the Chairmen said about me. It was nice getting survival…but I’m even more proud of the players for the way they’ve come back after lockdown.”
Whatever the future might hold for Mark Noble – West Ham as a club, and we as Hammers’ supporters, owe the captain a huge slice of gratitude!
Great Leader no doubt about that, will be interesting to see what he does next, I thought against Utd and Villa he was relatively average but I may be wrong he is one of those players that quietly is effective and has surprised me more often than I can remember, he is pure East End a proper street fighter. Whatever he chooses to do he deserves the utmost respect as one of the most honest players any club has ever produced.
Yep – well done & well played Mark especially last couple of games where team mates have also put in a bit of effort to try and influence the results. Nobes looks a class act when the team gives it a go.
But, let’s not forget that it was no coincidence that we fell into pieces losing Antonio and Fabianski early in the season. It was no coincidence that we picked up considerably after playing Antonio in an effective position and with the support of Bowen and Soucek. Also, speaking of capable and inspirational captains, it was no coincidence that we improved and started playing positive football the moment that Kevin Nolan was allowed to get involved. One of Sam Allardyce’s masterstrokes was bringing Kevin with him.
I think that recruitment needs to be getting players with solid and confident styles and the team should be encouraged to play to their strengths. The team will respond to the cajoling of Mark Noble on the pitch and he will be able to show more of his instinctive style going forward instead of continually fighting fires every game.
Kevin Nolan will greatly help getting the best out of the others supporting Fabianki, Rice, Bowen, Soucek and Antonio. Haller might turn into a bit of a player if given a bit of help and education of our ‘system’.
Looking forward to a good season starting next month. No ‘expectations’ of finishing 5th, 6th, 10th or whatever. Would like 1st obviously, but more important to play a sound entertaining game with 100% effort each game and see where that takes us. There is little point ‘mapping out’ the next 6 years if we can’t take it a game at a time – yes, we can dream – but much more vital to enjoy the satisfaction of game to game. We all live for today – not tomorrow!
COYI
OMG … really . Comparing Noble to Bonds is laughable . . Reliable and loyal work horse but no more . In the Pike and Holland bracket not the Bonds , Peters Devonshire Brooking league . .. We would not have been in this position if Noble had been replaced two years ago when his legs let him down . . Football is big business and there in no longer room for sentiment . We survived because Soucek and Rice shored up the chasm left by Nobles inability to cover . He played further forward where there was less danger when the ball was given away and the pedestrian pace could not halt quick break aways .
bang on
Read the blog Peter – I compared them in certain ways. There of course is only one Bonzo – but Billy himself would, and has in the past, paid his own tribute to Noble. You also under estimate the values of Pike and Holland in their time. There was me thinking it was Pelligrini who spent a fortune on misfits, stuck with a ‘keeper who was hopeless, and played a style of football that clearly didn’t work, when all the time all our problems started and ended with Mark Noble!!
Well said Allen it is amazing how after all he has given to this club there are still supporters who will use him as a scapegoat . The boy has scored more penalties than any other player for us which have won and saved games. I think he deserves a place in the clubs history he may not have Brookings skills and Bonzo’s strength but to play in the prem for all these years where the pace of the game is far quicker I think it has been remarkable well done Mark Noble
i expected someone to come on and give him stick. “reliable and honest workhorse and no more”? i refer you back to MOST of the piece is about his influence and not his his footballing skills. about how just having him in the team made the team play better. his influence off the pitch, not his legs. his positive effect on the players around him (Rice would never be a capable captain hade he not stood next to Noble for 4 seasons). i saw 2 respected former footballers say at the weekend “Mark Noble takes a lot of stick but make no bones about it, he is an excellent footballer”. i’m going with them
Exactly my pointbrollercoasterhammer. His ‘influence’ is the key. What make a captain a ‘leader’. What has made Noble a special Hammer. Plus his loyalty, of course. Far too undervalued these days. Those who critisise him refuse to look at the bigger picture. It doesn’t suit their arguement!
The legend is nobes
Personally, I agree with you Allen 100%, but there are supporters who will not shift from their narrative. But you only need to talk to ANY of the well-respected names within the game to realise just how highly they rate him.
It’s no secret that Arsene Wenger wanted Mark at Arsenal……. I wonder why?
Some probably think you only need butter, sugar and icing to bake a cake!
Noble deserved every bit of what the chairman said about him. It’s no wonder he got emotional thinking about it. They should have thanked him for throwing that idiot protestor to the ground during the burnley match too. Noble is a proper old school legend.
Notice he didn’t thank the minority of fans or social media types that have been slagging him off for years.
I really hoped when I saw the headline this would wasn’t going to be a mark noble puff piece… should have known better. The fact we compare a guy to true legends who’s only real calling cards are longevity and loyalty, partially because he has never been quite good enough for a bigger club or even the revolving door that is the England midfield is a sad indictment on our recent past as a club.
Fair play to him, love his passion etc, but was far from the best on field in any of our key games, with most points coming against relegated sides. Time to all put down the Kool-aid, slip him onto the bench and use him sparingly and build around the most exciting midfield pair we have had in years by adding a creative outlet in front of rice/soucek for the likes of haller to play off.
Well said Dave B . 100% correct .
Yes, thanks Mark, well done Mark, but if you are real West Ham fan retire or get transferred Mark, because the fan club maybe in place here, but let’s face it you are to slow and to old for the Premiership. BYE and thanks for everything.
Noble and bonzo are two different type of players so don’t go there. Noble was really good against manure and villa so don’t get what 32 is on about and he should stick around get his coaching badges and see what happens in the yrs ahead. As for people saying he has no pace like mooro had no pace noble sees the pass to make and has never like mooro had pace to start with. Good captain nice geezer rich now through his businesses out of football and well done my son. One more season on bench while waiting for your badges and thanks for your one club service.