A Noble Cause But Two Points Lost!

Ahead of the games against Chelsea and Newcastle, most fans would have been overjoyed at the prospect of emerging with four points, and yet in the cold light of day people will be disappointed with the club having only attained just the four points, the two 'lost' points may come back to haunt David Moyes who was none too happy with the way his team conceded the 2nd Newcastle goal, only 81 seconds after scoring through the superb Tomas Soucek.

Fortunately the Gods have been smiling on West Ham as the other teams involved in the relegation scrap are floundering, with games to find some form fast running out, the only 'fly in the ointment' being Brighton who continue to get results under the impressive Graham Potter, it is no coincidence that his team pulled away from the bottom of the Barclays Premier League not long after Brighton handed him a five year contract extension.

Hammers have acquired one list topping 'quality', regrettably it is for having dropped the most points from winning positions than any other club, 27 so far! To be fair many of those games were before David Moyes arrived, but if you add those points to the current table West Ham United would be equal THIRD with Leicester.

The Irons team that played the last two games have shown resilience and commitment, they only need to add guile to be able to 'close out' the remaining fixtures, but bringing on 'Mr West Ham' captain Mark Noble, is not a cunning plan. Watching Mark play against Newcastle when he replaced Manuel Lanzini was painful, perhaps it is not that he has got slower, it is just that new arrivals Jarred Bowen and Tomas Soucek make him look pedantic.

There are still plenty of games to play, and skipper Noble can still help the team out whether he plays or not, just his presence on the bench can be helpful, as he eases his way towards a less strenuous role within the club, possibly in a coaching capacity, although in a recent interview he said his preference would be to move to a director of football position when the time comes for him to eventually hang up his boots.

Mark Noble has been a brilliant servant to the club, the ultimate professional, so criticising him is a bit like stamping on a puppy, but by his own admission he cannot get up and down the park in a way that he feels comfortable, and that he 'longs' for the team to move forward without depending on him. His performance against the Toon crystallised the point in it's entirety, after a couple of games out it looked like he had missed the boat entirely.

Hopefully the club will avoid relegation and when Mark Noble eventually announces his 'retirement', it will be acknowledged with honour and dignity, it's the least he deserves. - Ed