‘Too much for me’ – West Ham mainstay details what he ‘hated’ in the 3-1 win v Watford
West Ham United legend Mark Noble has admitted that he hated the second half in the 3-1 victory against Watford last time out.
The Hammers icon made his 500th appearance for the club during the victory at the London Stadium and cemented his spot in West Ham history.
Noble admitted that the moment got to him and that he couldn’t hide his emotion when the full-time whistle was finally sounded.
Noble claimed that he wasn’t happy with the second-half, with his teammates knowing they would be poor compared to the lightning start they made.
“I knew at half-time of the Watford game we might be poor in the second half,” he wrote in his Evening Standard column.
“Because of the pressure all the players were under, I knew we’d sit back and protect our lead. Better teams than us have done something similar and it is human nature to protect what you have.
“I didn’t enjoy the second half one little bit — I hated it — but when that final whistle went, just the emotion of it all, was too much for me.
“I’m pretty sure it was written in the stars that my 500th game would be one of the most important in recent times for West Ham.”
Just how did Noble perform on his 500th appearance though? The 33-year-old kept 5.5% of his side’s possession, the most in the Hammers’ team [WhoScored].
The midfielder was everywhere and even claimed an assist in the 3-1 win. Having both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek behind him certainly helped in his roaming role, but it was those two that found the back of the net.
Noble may not get the chance to feature at Old Trafford given his fitness struggles since the lockdown, but he will surely be raring to get some minutes with only two games to go.
In other West Ham United news, Charlie Nicholas has predicted the result of Wednesday’s trip to Manchester United