Garth Crooks heaped praise on West Ham mainstay Mark Noble and claimed that it was the midfielder who should have been the club’s Player of the Year.
The BBC pundit named Noble in his Team of the Week following the 30-year-old’s display in the 2-0 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
“How can West Ham fans name Marko Arnautovic their player of the season?” questioned Crooks when naming his Team of the Week for BBC Sports.
“Surely it has to be Mark Noble, in one of the most difficult seasons West Ham have had in the Premier League, it was Noble who assured the fans when they lost their heads that with their help all would be well.
“He has never shirked a game, a tackle or an interview, and against Leicester – when you needed a big man to match the occasion – it was ‘Mr West Ham’ who came to the rescue and won the points.
“There is only one player of the season for me at West Ham and that is Mark Noble.”
Noble, who has been in the Hammers first-team since 2006, didn’t even make the top three when it came to the Hammers’ 2017/18 Player of the Year being named by fans.
According to the club’s official website, Marko Arnautovic won the honour, Declan Rice was runner-up and Pablo Zabaleta finished third in the race for the personal accolade.
OPINION
Crooks is wrong to suggest that fans got it wrong with their selection for Hammer of the Year. Arnautovic has scored 10 goals, while creating seven, in 30 appearances this season and without him David Moyes’ side wouldn’t have been fired to safety in the Premier League. However the BBC pundit is right to drool over Noble’s display from Sunday’s game. The 30-year-old midfielder scored a stunning volley to ensure his side got all three points, that eventually secured their Premier League status for next season, once Southampton ended up drawing with Everton. Noble led by example against the Foxes and he was his usual hardworking self as he appeared to try to cover as much ground as possible. Performances of this nature by the Hammers captain have been too rare a sight in the 31 appearances he has made this campaign. Noble has had some nightmare games this season and that’s why he didn’t pick up the biggest personal accolade available at the club’s end of season awards. The 30-year-old is still popular among Hammers supporters and if he is able to be more consistent next season, who knows, he might up with the award.
