The Mark Noble Thread

NEoldiron

Suze, young Mark is 30!!?? ;nonono

SuzanneClaret

I know !!

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

Captain, leader, legend

eskimoking

Apparently been playing for 4 months with a double hernia and is also finishing the season for an operation. So how many players have we had playing through serious injuries this season? Og, Reid, Kouyate, Noble?

Bazshuayi

I've been one of the people who've not wanted him in the team ( thought he was slow in thought, pedestrian and seems to mistime a tackle as a matter of habit). Now I know he's been going through this I totally feel like taking the criticism back. Hopefully he'll come back next season and prove I was harsh to judge him like that

eskimoking

I dunno Baz, he looked poor the first few months of the season too, so before this. It'll be interesting to see if the team can stop that unwanted record when he doesn't start over the last 2 matches.

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

Most of the team looked poor for too many games, wasn't just him.

Fair play though carrying on with that, not that we needed convincing that he cares

Bazshuayi

Yes, crystal clear he's a Hammer through and through and you cant help but care about him because of it (especially as there's precious little loyalty and affinity with clubs shown by players these days). I know its harsh but I dont see him as a starter anymore if certain other players are fit. I hope he proves me wrong next season though.

IronHerb

Sack the medical team I say.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

I don't regret calling for him to be dropped

Noble is one of my favourite players ever since he first burst on to the scene, and in my eyes he is the only person in my era of really liking football that he's been the heart of te club

But we are a team that can't afford passengers....and I think Noble was a passenger for large parts of the season

Think he's a inferior player to Obiang and Kouytate (no shame in that) so he needed to be dropped in my eyes

I'm happy he came back I'm not gonna sit here cursing when I see him in the team but imo he wasn't in my first XI

He's never going to leave, he is the heart of the club soon so hopefully he can recover as we will need him at time next season

ASLEFshrugged

We dropped Noble for Astra Giurgiu at home, we lost 1-0
We dropped Noble for Man U in the League Cup, we lost 4-1
We dropped Noble for Man U at home, we lost 2-0
We dropped Noble for Man City in the Cup, we lost 5-0
We dropped Noble for Stoke away, we drew 0-0

Other times when he's been unavailable due to injury or suspension we've either lost or drawn, the only time we've won without Noble this season was against Accrington Stanley and that stayed 0-0 until the 96th minute!

I don't know what it is he does but having Noble in the starting XI is a plus

thornburyiron

Aslef if those stats are correct we've either won a helluva lot more games than the table suggests or he's hardly ever played this season.

ASLEFshrugged

Oh no, we've lost or drawn plenty of games when Noble was playing but we have only won once this season without him.

We've not won in the Premier without him since we beat Leicester in December 2014.

NEoldiron

ASLEF, that's a truly amazing stat. Is it too much to be called co-incidence? ;hmm

ASLEFshrugged

I have no idea but until we win without Noble I'd keep him in the starting line up whenever possible. Not that I'm superstitious........

alderz

So, Mark Noble ends the 2016/17 season with 402 West Ham appearances. This puts him equal 17th appearance maker for the club (joined with Ted Hufton, 1915-1932).

Next season, he could conceivably make it up another few places. 13th is probably as high as he can get by this time next year, unless he plays every game in a couple of cup runs too.

17 - 402 - Mark Noble (2004 - 2017)
16 - 406 - Ernie Gregory (1939 - 1959)
15 - 428 - John Bond (1952 - 1965)
14 - 431 - Ray Stewart (1979 - 1991)
13 - 436 - Phil Parks (1979 - 1990)

------------

12 - 446 - Alan Devonshire (1976 - 1990)
11 - 455 - Ken Brown (1953 - 1967)
10 - 576 - Jim Barrett (1925 - 1945)
09 - 502 - Geoff Hurst (1958 - 1972)
08 - 505 - Vic Watson (1920 - 1935)
07 - 505 - Steve Potts (1985 - 2001)
06 - 548 - Jimmy Ruffell (1921 - 1937)
05 - 601 - Alvin Martin (1978 - 1996)
04 - 635 - Trevor Brooking (1967 - 1984)
03 - 646 - Bobby Moore (1958 - 1974)
02 - 674 - Frank Lampard (1967 - 1985)
01 - 793 - Billy Bonds (1967 - 1988)

Pearces_Left_Foot

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11685/10887457/west-ham-201617-premier-league-season-review

Charlie Nicholas thinks Noble is declining and needs replacing

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Think a lot of players have declined this year....

Do think Nobles time is slowly coming to a close

Think Obiang and Kouyate just offer more energy and have more efficient use of movement. Noble has a great engine but his tenacity can get him into trouble as this bigger pitch creates bigger spaces that the opposition can exploit

One big thing about Noble was his long passing.....something neither Kouyate or Obiang can do as well but Fernandes showed recently that he has that in his locker also

He will need replacing some day but right now CM is probably one of our stronger areas with Kouyate, Obiang, Fernandes, Noble, Nordtveit and Lanzini who played there well against Burnly

Yeoldhammer

Well we won without Noble yesterday (that curse is broken)

I don't think Noble needs replacing par-se the big games like Spurs and so on where you need someone who bleeds claret and blue like Collins you need those kind of characters for those games to fire up the team.

But overall he isn't getting any better and I don't think he can improve much on his ability, I do believe there are better players we can get to fill that space who could potentially offer more. But there are way many more other positions that need sorting first.

alderz

I think he is unlikely to command a nailed on starting position in a full strength side, but I certainly don't think he should be going anywhere. I want him in and around the squad, and, actually, if he started the season as first choice CM I wouldn't complain.

(I love him)

alderz

That 'expert' opinion from Charlie Nicholas is rubbish.

Pearces_Left_Foot

Personally I think he is a good player to have in the squad abit like Ginge , I think he may not be a nailed on starter all season would like to see Fernandes/Obinag gradually replace him and that might mean a new captain maybe the season after

Lukerz

Let's not get carried away with Fernandes. Last week he was slated as appalling v Liverpool. He was good yesterday but let's not go overboard.

IronHerb

Who's getting carried away? Last week everyone was appalling.

Lukerz

Not on here.

I've just seen a lot of people now talking like he's a genuine key for next season player based on yesterday where he was admittedly very good.

Nobes for me still stays first choice CM until his form is poor enough for him to lose it.

grey_til_I_dye

Lukerz

I can't say I've seen much suggestion that he would be a 'key' player. He had a good game yesterday, and it is very good, imo, that a young player bought in 'for the future' has shown himself good enough to force his way into the match day squad and team.

For me, everyone starts equal in pre-season, and then tries to 'force' the manager's hand by how they train and play.

EXETERHAMMER

Fernandes in my opinion has shown versatility. He can play wingback/right wing and central midfield. I see him as an option instead of Kouyate, Obiang and Noble in central midfield and a possible deputy for Byram, Antonio or Feghouli or even Snodgrass on the right.

A very good squad player to have in the side who will get better with more games.

alderz

Noble's now up to 457 West Ham appearances, 11th highest in club history. 10 behind 10th place Jim Barrett, before a bit of a climb to Geoff Hurst in 9th on 502 appearances ;clap

Deanscaleshammer

Despite criticism from fans, successive managers select him consistently. He does the hard yards, and the unspectacular work for our team. His tackling and passing are underrated imo. His loyalty and genuine commitment to the club are rare in today’s game. If he is in the side I always feel it improves our chance of a win.

;bowdown

alderz

Deanscaleshammer said:

Despite criticism from fans, successive managers select him consistently. He does the hard yards, and the unspectacular work for our team. His tackling and passing are underrated imo. His loyalty and genuine commitment to the club are rare in today’s game. If he is in the side I always feel it improves our chance of a win.

I love Mark Noble

;bowdown

Fixed it for you