After coming off the bench in the 72nd minute with West Ham trailing 1-0 to Stoke on Wednesday night, Mark Noble did more than his fair share to turn defeat into victory and propel the Hammers into the hat for the quarter final draw of the Carling Cup. After a jinking run to the by-line, Noble cut back to allow Manuel Da Costa to slot home to put the Irons into the lead, and an exquisite, cutting through ball allowed Victor Obinna to seal the 3-1 victory deep into extra time. But has the 23 year-old been getting the appreciation and chances he deserves?
Born and raised in east London, Noble is another off the fabled West Ham academy production line, and aged just 17, made his debut for the club in their promotion season from the Championship. After making 13 appearances during the 2004-05 season, Noble was subsequently voted Young Hammer of the Year and came runner-up to Teddy Sheringham in the Hammer of the Year vote.
When the Hammers returned to the big time Noble struggled to force his way into the side, making only 15 league appearances in two seasons, and was loaned out to both Hull City and Ipswich Town respectively. Since then, however, Noble has slotted into the West Ham midfield ably and, under three successive managers in Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola and Avram Grant, has retained his place in the starting eleven, proving himself to be an integral part of the side.
Since his flurry of awards in his debut season, Noble has continued about his business with an unerring loyalty, passion and commitment to the club, with little reward to show for it, apart from signing a contract extension in April 2009 to keep him at the club until 2013.
People have questioned the former England Under 21 captain’s ability to function at the highest level, including yours truly, but after Wednesday night’s performance, Noble is beginning to prove he can stomach it at the highest level. In Scott Parker, Noble has the perfect foil to allow him to be more adventurous, meaning more offensive play and incisive passing, like we saw against Stoke last night, and less defensive duties. I personally feel the former is where Noble’s strength lies, and although he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge, this does not represent where he is most effective on the pitch.
With the likes of Parker and Radoslav Kovac in the team, Noble is beginning to fulfil the potential he showed as a teenager, and as his performances improve, if West Ham don’t improve on their current league position, the Hammers may find it difficult to hold onto the academy graduate.
