West Ham coach reveals Declan Rice and Mark Noble did the night of Europa Conference League success
Declan Rice and Mark Noble stayed up until the early hours of the morning after West Ham United’s triumphant Europa Conference League win, according to Kevin Nolan.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (13 September), the West Ham coach revealed that he, Noble and Rice stayed up late in a post-victory moment, with Rice not wanting the night to end due to the “excitement”.
In a moment between three consecutive Hammer captains, Nolan claims this moment was one of his “best evenings in football”.
On talkSPORT, Nolan said: “I had one of the best evenings in football with him when we won the Europa Conference. Both me, him, and Mark Noble, us there being the last three up. Just talking about everything what’s gone on.
“It was early hours of the morning. [Rice] just didn’t want to go to bed. The excitement of what he did and what he produced that year.
“There had been a lot of ups and downs for him. He took the brunt, but that evening was nice, me being the captain that passed it onto Nobes, and Nobes passing it onto RIce. It was a lovely moment which I’ll always cherish.”
Lovely
In a moment that feels like it comes straight from the pages of an unrealistic film, Nolan has shared a little piece of West Ham history that would bring a tear to the eye of a Hammers faithful.
Rice ended his West Ham career on a historic high, and there seems to be very little love lost between the £105million boy-turned-man and the Hammers fanbase.
The love Rice has for his former club is unquestionable, with small but powerful anecdotes like this from Nolan serving to prove just how important the club is to him.
The Hammers had a tough season in the league, but the European triumph trumped any negativity that was felt. With Rice now at Arsenal, the Irons find themselves flying into the Premier League in fourth place and as one of the few unbeaten sides.
Rice will go down in history, along with Noble, as one of the Hammers’ finest captains, and this moment between the trio reflects the magnitude of what they achieved that night in Prague.
In other West Ham news, Rio Ferdinand has continued to question the international treatment of a Hammers duo.