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Eddie B 9:53 Tue Mar 14
Mark Noble - Noble responds

Hello everyone.

Unfortunately, I’ve been playing with an injury that means I won’t be available to play in Saturday’s Premier League fixture with Leicester City, but I’ll be supporting the lads and I hope we’re all going to be celebrating an important win come five o’clock.

I want to clarify some comments I made in an interview I gave at the start of the week, as I feel they didn’t come across as I wanted them to.

I was asked about the criticism that has been levelled at me and the team this season, and I just want to make it clear that I wasn’t digging out West Ham United fans in general, because I can assure you if I wasn’t playing I’d be sitting with them.

I was born a West Ham supporter, I bought tickets when I was a kid, I started in the Academy when I was eleven, I went to all the home games, I was lucky enough to get into the first team and then live my dream by captaining my Club.

As captain and a lifelong fan, I am the first to admit that we have not reached the same standards that we did so often last season.

There have been reasons for that, but we need to start looking forward positively to the future, rather than dwell on the issues which have made things more difficult for us.

When it comes to the criticism, I want to say we have an incredible fan base, at matches home and away, week-in, week-out – proper people who love their Club – but there is a small minority who just want to criticise the players and the manager out at the first opportunity.

We are going to lose games. Players will have bad games. That’s for sure. But that doesn’t mean we are not giving 100 per cent for the Club.

As much as we try to ignore the comments made on social media, sometimes they are unavoidable and while I’m not fussed about whether I get stick or not, some players are affected by it.

I think back to exactly ten years ago, when we were bottom of the Premier League.

If social media existed then like it does today, people would have been calling for Alan Curbishley to be sacked or for all the players to be dropped, including Carlos Tevez!

Then what happened? Everything clicked and we won seven out of our last nine games to stay up!

Times are different now. Instead of walking out of the ground and having a moan to your mate or your Dad, some people leap straight on social media and troll the player directly.

You have a right to moan, of course, but negativity spreads and it can affect everyone, especially younger players who have not developed a thick skin like us more experienced ones.

What I am saying is that we need to be positive, inside the dressing room, in the stands and on social media.

I play under a manager who gives 100 per cent every day, and when the players are not doing likewise, I’ll be the first person in the dressing room to go around and tell them to pull their socks up.

We’ve always been a Club which values commitment and hard work – players like Billy Bonds, Julian Dicks and Scott Parker, who gave 100 per cent every day.

One player who certainly did that was Dylan Tombides, who we are paying tribute to on Saturday with a DT38 Foundation Awareness Day.

We miss Dyl around the place every day, and his legacy lives on in the shape of this fantastic charity. Please give whatever you can to the cause.

Come on you Irons!

Mark Noble
Captain
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West Ham captain Mark Noble admits the last eight months have been the most difficult of his career, but has hit back at fans calling for him to be dropped.

In recent weeks, Hammers manager Slaven Bilic has defended Noble's place in his team, with a certain section of the club's support suggesting the 29-year-old should be left out.

Noble, who joined West Ham at the age of 11, is closing in on 400 appearances for his boyhood club and has insisted he can handle the pressure laid at his door.

"If I am really honest, a lot of people who now go to football don't really understand the game," Noble told Sky Sports News HQ.

"Football is a game of moments now and if someone does four step-overs, they've had an incredible game.

"That's not something I do. It's just football, you've got to live with it. The things Arsene Wenger has done for Arsenal and some people want him out.

"Players like Wayne Rooney, some people want him out of Manchester United team. That's why we are captains of our clubs, because we can handle that pressure."

West Ham have endured a difficult first season at London Stadium with a number off-the-field issues affecting the club and the playing squad.

The sale of star midfielder Dimitri Payet in particular proved to be a huge disruption for the first-team squad, with the French international stating he would never play for the club again before eventually sealing a move back to Marseille in January.

"It's probably been the hardest [period] of my West Ham career because we've had so much to deal with off the pitch," Noble said.

"Obviously the move to the new stadium, the Dimi situation, so much has gone one and we lost four of our best players to injury in pre-season, which is hard to replace.

"You've got to stick at it, the players have dug in and though we've lost a couple of games, in this day and age you're not allowed to lose games."



C&H

Noble gets it in neck from Irons legend

Exclusive

Mark Noble has received a stiff rap across the knuckles for his comments about “some fans not understanding the game” from Hammers ‘elder statesman Phil Parkes.

The man considered the best Hammers goalkeeper ever has always been a huge favourite with the Irons faithful and doesn’t believe they deserved to be spoken of in such a way.

And he told ClaretandHugh exclusively: “First and foremost you just can’t talk about fans like that. You just don’t do it. It’s not on. For the skipper. or any other player for that matter, to be addressing his fans like that isn’t right at all.

“To say fans don’t understand the game is just not right – fans live and breath the game and understand enough to know when a player isn’t performing and that’s what this was about. Fans do understand football believe me!”

Parkes believes that Noble’s time at the club is now up and said: “I’m afraid the simple truth is he’s not good enough anymore. He never had a lot of pace but it seems this season that what he had has gone.

“It comes to everybody and he has been a magnificent servant but it’s clear to me that Cheik Kouyate is the man for midfield and Sam Byram needs to be given a run at right back.

“I was saying this at the beginning of the season and nothing I have seen this season has changed my mind.”

Justin P 9:56 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

He doesn't really address the being dropped thing?

Vexed 9:57 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

Blimey, he's going to need a tin hat after that. Arrogant and full of excuses, this isn't what we want from our captain. He's better than this.

El Scorchio 10:00 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

I make him right about it being a game of moments and a few stepovers convinces people you're a genius.

I think he does need to step it up though. No one is irreplaceable.

stewie griffin 10:02 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

"If I am really honest, a lot of people who now go to football don't really understand the game,"



Been cracking me up all morning, that.

Spot on he is as well.

Have that, LONDON STADIUM

On The Ball 10:05 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

"in this day and age you're not allowed to lose games."

That's a great point. You look on here when we lose any game and you'd think the world had caved in. EVERY single second is over-analysed. I always wonder how some legends of old would get on today - if you're not excellent instantly, you're shit.

Hammer and Pickle 10:06 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

He's had a mare with that Wayne Rooney reference alright.

Hope he's getting coaching.

Sven Roeder 10:09 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

How does he rate his form this season?

Run ragged by the likes of Adam Forshaw and Harry Arter let alone some of the BIG names.
If we are to progress we need a better player.
Is that understanding enough?

Eddie B 10:14 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

On The Ball 10:05 Tue Mar 14

We haven't won in four matches now though. I think we're allowed to raise concerns.

wd40 10:19 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

Right or wrong still a twat to knock his own fans knowledge of the game

A word in your ear son ...

Just shut up and play .

play good that is well even average will do.

11MDE 10:22 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

He should be dropped, simple as that.

Dr Moose 10:24 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

On The Ball 10:05 Tue Mar 14

Agree in part, but when those around you are picking up points then you have to start over analyzing, Swansea are picking up points, Leicester are, Bournemouth are; we're getting sucked back in. A defeat against Leicester on Saturday leaves us 6 point clear of the bottom 3, two weeks ago we had an 11 point cushion. We are dropping points against those sides and getting our arse handed to us by the top 6 sides (well a couple of them).

w4hammer 10:34 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

i)just concentrate on ( for 90 minutes) being where the play is and not standing ten yards the wrong-side
ii) Eliminate the receive the ball/stop.....think about a pass from your game. Every other player has seen you do this and thats why you keep getting caught
iii)Teach yourself to be a right back
iv) Start earing and scoring a few penalties

Do the above and you will have a long and happy career at west ham

Trevor B 10:36 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

w4

Noble is the answer to our right back problems? FMOB, can you imagine how easily he would get roasted by even the slowest of wingers???

Russ of the BML 10:39 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

Wayne Rooney and Wenger are poor references. They have both under-performed for years. Both have been at their respective clubs too long and have not made the most of the last five seasons of their careers.

Regardless of what Rooney and Wenger have done for their respective clubs; you can't live off the past forever.

I can't bear people within football who defend other players / managers / people when they actually know deep down they aren't doing the business.

No Man Utd or Arsenal fan would ever forget what those two people have done for them. But the bottom line is they should have been moved on years ago.

As for the comment about a lot of people who football these days don't understand the game. Well, he is right, its true. Probably more so than ever there are many people at games who never played and don't really understand the game.

But he fails to realise that even if this is the case the majority of people that go do understand the game. Like myself, and thousands of others. And I can tell you that Mark Noble, as a holding midfielder, is a liability because he has no pace and cannot get about the pitch quickly or efficiently enough.

He is a decent player. But he is now getting by-passed because of his lack of positioning and not being able to cover ground. And as Sven said ending up getting run ragged by (no disprespect to them) Forshaw and Arter who are, in my opinion, very good players but at PL level, average at best.

Noble needs to stop making excuses and face the facts. He needs to up his game immensely or he will continue to be seen as the weak link.

jack flash 10:40 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

I can fully understand having a good captain as a link between the manager & the players, especially one who's come through the ranks with the club

And yes, he doesn't necessarily have to be the best player

The problem is Noble seems unable to get up & down the pitch quickly enough now to do his job. He slows everything down, no longer gets the tackles in & loses possession too easily

He simply isn't the player he was a few years ago & needs to be replaced

I take his point about him never being a flashy sort of player with step overs etc but sometimes he seems incapable of doing the simple things well. I'm sick of seeing him passing backwards to the goalie when we're in a decent attacking position

1964 10:43 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

Load of bollocks. Not good enough. Replace him!

On The Ball 10:44 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

Eddie/Moose - I'm not saying we shouldn't, it's a more general point. Look at this site - it doesn't matter what kind of run we're on, every single decision is pulled apart to the Nth degree. Every defeat is the end of the world.

Before the internet and sites like this, it wasn't the end of the world.

1307 10:44 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

I think this puts an end to the 'man of the fans' rubbish.

Conceited, arrogant, supercilious prick who should have been dropped AGES ago.

Even the most stupid fan can see what he is all about now.

Takashi Miike 10:44 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

the beginning of the end for him, he should keep his trap shut

stewie griffin 10:45 Tue Mar 14
Re: Mark Noble hits back at fans calling for him to be dropped

"No Man Utd or Arsenal fan would ever forget what those two people have done for them."

Makes me feel slightly nauseous sticking up for Mourinho....but last night proved what you say there to be wrong. Getting abuse from Chelsea fans, who amongst other things called him 'Judas'.
They might want to check their FACTS, since the JUDASES were Hazard and Costa, who basically gave up playing for a season in order to get someone they didn't like the sack, and yet there they are, cheering them on.

Noble is spot on. There's a lot of clueless people 'following' football nowadays.

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