The West Ham United captain has failed to live up to his usual high standards this season.
West Ham United’s Mark Noble and James Collins celebrate
Hammers skipper Mark Noble spoke to the club’s official website for an exclusive interview, and explained how the negative comments flooding social media regarding the team’s players and manager have affected morale at the club, and subsequently played a detrimental role in their ability to achieve positive results.
West Ham earned a valuable three points against relegation rivals Swansea City yesterday, in a result that eased the pressure on under-fire boss Slaven Bilic, and they now sit eight points clear of the relegation zone.
The 29-year-old Hammers captain has not been immune from criticism himself this season.
The usually consistent Noble has been way off the pace this term, with many West Ham fans calling for him to be dropped from the Croatian’s starting XI.
And he told WHUFC.com how the negative vibes concerning West Ham’s season has most definitely affected the players’ ability to perform:
West Ham United’s Mark Noble celebrates
“I said a few weeks ago about social media and how much the negative comments can damage the players’ confidence and stuff like that but I’ve seen a lot of positive stuff over the last couple of weeks, with people saying ‘We have got to go to the ground and support the lads and get behind them because we’re all in it together’. That was probably the best atmosphere, for a game of that pressure against Swansea, that we have played in at this Stadium and I thought the fans were great and really helped.”
Noble and co head to Wearside to take on rock-bottom Sunderland next weekend, and a win against David Moyes’ doomed side would all but secure their Premier League status for anther season.
West Ham United’s Mark Noble celebrates
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