Written by: Andy Dennis

There are few topics that divide Hammers fans more than the subject of our captain. For the majority, Mark Noble is a hero, a legend, a loyal servant and a symbol of everything that makes us proud to be West Ham. For others he is a spent force, an overused championship player, who’s loyalty is questionable since nobody better came in for him.

The Noble debate has continued to rage with most fans picking a side and very much digging in their heels. So, what divides opinions so fiercely?
Perhaps it’s the difficulty in identifying what type of midfielder he is. We can hardly describe him as a box-to-box, defensive or attacking midfielder, he doesn’t really possess the natural skill sets that are usually associated with these roles.

On a good day he is capable of pinging high-quality balls that split opposition defences or turn our defence into attack immediately. He is exceptional at drawing a foul from the opposition to relieve pressure when in a tight corner, and his penalty record speaks for itself.

On a bad day, his passes are often misplaced and the opposition’s transition into attack seems to pass him by. His tackling can be reckless at times and he may be fortunate to have not cost us more points through red cards, like the two he cost at Leicester last season.

As West Ham fans we are obsessed with Academy grown players and we do tend to look at ‘one of our own’ with slightly rose-tinted glasses. This is not without good reason, since Lampard, Cole, Carrick and now Rice are relatively recent midfield products that have represented England admirably. But while Noble is very much ‘one of our own’ does he really compare favourably with that quartet?

Selection for club and country evidences further division of opinion. Seven different England managers have steered the ship during Noble’s time in the claret and blue, but none have seen fit to select him. Whereby eight West Ham managers, during the same period, have continued to make him one of the first names on the team-sheet, obviously seeing qualities and value in him that may not be obvious to all.

With the addition of some quality signings over the past couple of seasons, it is easy for some of us to look at Noble’s name on the team sheet and think we are lacking in a quality midfielder next to Rice, that Wilshere offers much more when fit, or that at thirty-two he doesn’t have the legs for the modern game.

However, even his biggest critics must accept that he was a major influence during the last three exceptional games of last season, notching up a couple of goals in the process. Being side-lined through injury for the team’s poor performances against Man City and Brighton this campaign, his return correlated with great performances and wins against Watford and Norwich, and a battling ten man draw against Villa.

Maybe that’s just coincidence, or maybe, as the facts suggest for the most part, we actually play better when Noble is part of the team. Whether that can be attributed to his leadership, his influence, his organisation, his determination, his passion, or whether we should recognise that he does offer considerable ability, the debate will undoubtedly continue to divide our opinions.

Dave Walker pointed out, on a recent West Ham Way podcast, a comparison with current French manager Didier Deschamps, who also divided opinions and was nicknamed ‘the water carrier’ by Eric Cantona during his playing career. Deschamps was a hard-working intelligent midfielder who stood out for his leadership, controlling play while others around him provided more creativity.

He represented France over 100 times and captained them to back-to-back World Cup and European Championship victories. Comparisons can obviously be drawn to Noble, if not at the same level of success. So, perhaps that’s the cap that fits and Noble can wear it with pride.