The big Mark Noble debate...

[X-Hammer-X]

I agree that young Mark seems to have stagnated somewhat over the past 18 months or so, but to suggest selling him at this stage of his career would be wrong.

I think he needs a break, to get out of the limelight for a while. Remember that during our now (in)famous great escape season a lot of pressure was put on his shoulders. He played a lot of football, and has continued to do so ever since. I believe that that has started to impact on his form.

Ideally, we would be able to take him out of the team for a while, get him back into training and working on his passing, ball skills etc etc. However, given the current state of the squad this won't happen for some time.

[Iron_lady]

I think that Mark Noble will be better than Parker by miles. He is still 21 and the captain of the england under 21's for one, he isnt really injury prone and when he gets the ball he dont just stand there and run around in circles and end up passing it back to the defenders

To sell Noble will be stupid!! - if he goes to anyone in the top 4 and turns out to be better than lampard we will be kicking ourselves saying why did we sell him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Morocco Mole]

I think that Mark Noble will be better than Parker by miles. He is still 21 and the captain of the england under 21's for one, he isnt really injury prone and when he gets the ball he dont just stand there and run around in circles and end up passing it back to the defenders

To sell Noble will be stupid!! - if he goes to anyone in the top 4 and turns out to be better than lampard we will be kicking ourselves saying why did we sell him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...says it all. The worst of it is, there are posters on here ****ing him off that usually talk a lot of sense...you know who you are!

[ooh look who it is]

Too slow to play the holding role regularly or the wide roles..

Since when do you need pace to play the holding role???

if anything lack of pace makes you play there. Makele hardly a whippit! Mascherano the same.

Holding role is exactly what is, holding. I could see Noble in time playing more to that role and someone with a bit more creatvity taking over the attacking role.

I am sure when Arsenal were linked with Noble it wasn't for him to take over the Fabregas role.

[dornanhale]

I think its best for him and the club as a whole to get Dyer into central midfield alongside Parker and let Noble have a spell on the bench to regain a bit of hunger. Remember, he has not long been back since injury and has played each game since I think.

[hadleighhammer]

Too slow to play the holding role regularly.

And Makelele was well known for his pace.

Of the top of my head I can't think of a quick holding player, as it's not a role that requires pace, but being able to read the game.

I think that's Noble's best role.Get's stuck in, works his nuts off and can play the simple pass. Parker's ahead of him in the team for that role at the moment. Maybe in 3-4 years time we'll have a CM of Noble and Collison. Think they complement each other.

As for selling him, obviously if we got silly money we would. I think he has stagnated a bit, but some time under Zola and Clarke especially I'd hope would bring him on. He's still only young so wouldn't write him off yet.

[Morocco Mole]

How many games has he been back? Have we lost any of them? Was he poor yesterday? Wasn't he our best player against Barnsley?
I'm convinced some of you lot just want something to moan about...

[The Gibbins]

He has his negatives as do most young players. How old is he? 21? He can get better and he is certainly good enough to play for this team in my opinion .He has the occasional brilliance about him at times and then just stupidly loses possession. I think he needs time, and i think he will improve as a player.

[Happyhammer93]

He is still young, only 21 and is not always going to produce good performances. But the more he plays, the more consistent he will get.He has still got a few year of Devloping, left. So to sell him would be Stupid.

And, if we sell player's like Davenport, LBM, Etc.
Then we shoudn't have to sell our better player's, and Noble is one of them.
So we should give him a chance, and see what level of ability he can get to.

[Fionn]

Comparing him to Parker is ridiculous. Not many fans of any club would want to get rid of our 21 year old who has done a lot for the club and is captain of the England under-21's. For **** sake, he doesn't reach his prime for another 6 or 7 years. Then compare him to Parker and see who is the better player. I must say I'm disappointed with this thread, and with a few of the posters who I thought had more sense than this.

[mankytoes]

Bloody hell, he's 21! Considering his high natural skill level, coupled with dedication and a high work rate, we should certainly be wanting to develop him for a couple more years. Are we only allowed one decent youth team central midfielder, so now that Collison is younger, and possibly better, we have to get rid?

He hasn't stood out recently, and it seems a lot of people want us to sell on form, rather than ability, which is crazy. Carly Cole has proven all you need to do is play well a couple of times and opinion totally shifts. Noble has the quality, we've all seen it, and he'll find form again.

[Side of Ham]

For once just for once we have a manager who could actually mould young talent into top footballers and some just want to hand him over to the likes of Wenger. The one player who i remember linking up with Tevez almost straight away was Noble while the others took a longtime to read his game and it's effectiveness, with Noble you could see he wanted to cause some damage alongside him and read his gameplan to perfection at times that second half of the season. Lampard, Carrick, Cole all had DiCanio's genius to work off of, Nobles had half a season with top, top quality genius and he fitted in really, really well since then we haven't had a true talisman of that kind and that is why we would really regret yet another talent thrown over to our rivals.

[Fionn]

For once just for once we have a manager who could actually mould young talent into top footballers and some just want to hand him over to the likes of Wenger. The one player who i remember linking up with Tevez almost straight away was Noble while the others took a longtime to read his game and it's effectiveness, with Noble you could see he wanted to cause some damage alongside him and read his gameplan to perfection at times that second half of the season. Lampard, Carrick, Cole all had DiCanio's genius to work off of, Nobles had half a season with top, top quality genius and he fitted in really, really well since then we haven't had a true talisman of that kind and that is why we would really regret yet another talent thrown over to our rivals.

Very good point which a lot of people tend to forget.

[Ozza]

seems like the original, negative points have more than far been out voiced, well done West Ham

[FDiMcA]

For once just for once we have a manager who could actually mould young talent into top footballers and some just want to hand him over to the likes of Wenger.

The one player who i remember linking up with Tevez almost straight away was Noble while the others took a longtime to read his game and it's effectiveness.

Bloody hell, he's 21! Considering his high natural skill level, coupled with dedication and a high work rate, we should certainly be wanting to develop him for a couple more years.

Also I feel some positions take longer to master than others.
Giggs and Defoe and Owen pacy kids came through the youths being fast, and hit the big time being fast, they didnt need to adapt much.
Nobles position is all about foresight, telepathy, imsgination, reading the game, and knowing situations and how seasoned profesional opponenets behave. Noble at 21 is a lot less developed than a winger or pacy striker at 21.
Noble will blossom with experience and is a great prospect.

[shaunieboy]

[quote="Iron_lady"]I think that Mark Noble will be better than Parker by miles.

How can you say that ?? How many Mcdonald's adverts has Noble done ??

[afcwhufc]

no way. I like Noble, these days passion is a lost thing in a lot of teams/players but when/if going gets tough thats really when the likes on Noble will shine.

good player, i think Zola and Clarke will know this, i think he will be skipper in couple seasons time as well. Next season he's gonna be quality, i can tell, theres a fine player in him just waiting to blossom.

[Devs Hampton]

I am very surprised with this thread. Outside of maybe the top 4, all PL teams have average non spectacluar but essential players that an form integral part of their squad and that is the very least you can say of Noble. I would agree that his progress may have stalled in the last season and a bit, but that does not mean by any stretch of the imagination he has peaked. I think there could be far more to come from him and surely with the new fitness regime at the club he could beome more of an athlete and Zola will surely improve him as a player. All that aside, he is one of ours and how often do we bleat about losing them to other clubs and not getting the best from them? He must be in the lower bracket of the earners as well, is there much to lose with keeping him? I hope he is at the club for a long time to come thankyou.

[WestHammer66]

To sell Noble would be the opposite of what Zola is saying he is trying to do. Yeah, so Collison shows a lot of promise. But who says just because we have one promising midfielder, we have to sell our other? I say stick to both of them.

Instead, sell sh*t players like Davenport, LBM and maybe even Neill. Because they're past their best, are on high wages (maybe not Davenport... but he seems to have bad attidtude) and Neill occasionally seems to think he still plays for Millwall.

[Up the Junction]

West Ham fans are the best in the world....... Fickle, Never!

Why is he fickle for merely expressing an opinion Alf?

FWIW I don't agree with the OP's point either but this is a forum where people are invited to share their thoughts. Feel free to disagree but please try to be a little more constructive in future. Thanks.