The West Ham United skipper has done little to justify his place.
In a recent interview with West Ham United’s official website, former midfielder Kevin Nolan praised the importance of Hammers skipper Mark Noble, but he is wrong to suggest the 30-year-old has done anything to warrant his place in Slaven Bilic’s side this season.
“For me, he’s what West Ham need,” Nolan told whufc.com, but for many of the fans that could not be further from the truth.
It is admirable to wear you heart on your sleeve and be passionate about your club, but that is only the start, with consistently good performances needed to justify your place in the starting XI.
Noble has been off the boil for quite some time, stretching back to last season, and his poor outings are exactly what West Ham do not need as they bid to pull further clear of the relegation zone in the weeks ahead.
While West Ham’s struggles are not solely the fault of one player, the West Ham skipper should be leading by example, and that has simply not been the case this season.
It is easy to look at Noble’s status as an unused substitute in the 3-0 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion and suggest that he was the missing component, but West Ham have lost four of the five league games he has started this campaign and he has not been made any better by his absence.
Nolan is right that West Ham need fight and spirit but Noble has not shown either for quite some time.
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