History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

NOBLE AIMS FOR TOP SPOT

England Under-21s midfielder Mark Noble can't wait to play on the hallowed New Wembley turf for the first time on Friday when he takes on Portugal Under-21s in the crucial European Championships qualifier.

The West Ham man played at the old Wembley twice - once for his school and once for his district in finals - but lost both games. The 21-year-old, who has scored two goals in the qualifiers so far, is hoping to make it third time lucky against the Portuguese.

With this final game to play, England currently top Group three, ahead of Friday's visitors by six points, and need only a draw to ensure a play-off place for the Championships, which begin in Sweden next May.

Noble said of England's home of football: "We have just trained here [at Wembley] and it is a great surface, the atmosphere is going to be great. Hopefully we can do it justice - we want to put a show on for the fans.

"This will be the first time I have played at New Wembley. I was lucky enough to play at the old Wembley a couple of times with my school and district. I lost both times and they were finals. So I hope it's third time lucky!

"The most import thing is winning - we have to win and finish our group campaign off with a bang. We know we are nearly though but we want that top spot."

Labels: England Under-21s, Mark Noble, Portugal

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 2:57 pm | Permalink | Comments

NOBLE: PLAYERS KEPT IN DARK OVER CURBISHLEY RESIGNATION

West Ham United players had no inkling that Alan Curbishley's relationship with the club's board had become so strained and were kept in the dark about the clashes over transfer policy that culminated in his exit.

Indeed, the 50-year-old's resignation on Wednesday, on the back of West Ham's best start to a Premier League campaign in almost a decade, came as a complete shock to his former troops, Mark Noble has revealed.

The Under-21 midfielder, who strides out at Wembley on Friday for the first time as Stuart Pearce's team go in search of a draw against Portugal to ensure a play-off en route to next summer's European Championships, was having lunch when he first learned of the news on television.

The 21-year-old had been conversing with U-21 team-mate Steven Taylor about Newcastle's precarious situation when he suddenly saw his own club were the ones who had lost their manager.

"I was sitting down eating lunch and we were chatting about all the stuff about Kevin Keegan and that news popped up," he admitted. "I was talking to Tails [Steven Taylor] about what was going on at his club Newcastle and then I found out that I didn't have a manger.

"I've had some texts from team-mates - we have all been in touch wondering what is happening. They only know as much as I do. He is a proud man but I don't know what was going on. The only certainty is that we are going to have a manager, but I don't know who that will be."

Noble praised Curbishley's contribution to the club he had been in charge of since December 2006. The former Charlton manager first saved West Ham from relegation in the 2006/07 season before steering them to 10th last term.

"After we managed to stay up we were hoping to push on after last season, which we saw as a stepping stone," continued Noble. "But as players we have to get on with things now. It is important for us to get it sorted out sooner rather than later both for the club and the players.

"The most important thing is that in the game against West Brom the players put themselves about. We have to go out there and do what we have been doing since the start of the season. We have had our best start in nine years so hopefully we can keep that up and carry on."

Labels: England Under-21s, Mark Noble, Premier League, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 2:51 pm | Permalink | Comments

'NAIVE' NOBLE OUT WITH HERNIA INJURY

Mark Noble has been forced to have a double hernia operation because of his eagerness to play too much football, his manager Alan Curbishley believes. The West Ham central midfielder, who undergoes surgery tomorrow (FRI), joins ten team mates on the sidelines, and will be out of action for at least two weeks.

The locally-born 20-year-old, who signed to the club as a schoolboy, has been one of the most popular players at Upton Park since his emergence in the team midway through last season.

His grit and passion to the cause – epitomised by his tears when Tottenham hit a late winner in their 4-3 defeat of West Ham last season – earned him a regular spot in the side. His enthusiastic performances, along with Carlos Tevez’s timely goals, were one of the main reasons that his team avoided relegation.

However this enthusiasm may have been his downfall, his manager reckons. Curbishley said: “He has been having a groin problem for a couple of months and he hasn’t cracked on.

“He had been going full pelt for the last five or six months and he has not really had any recovery time.”

Noble, who captained England’s U18s, was called up to the U21s this summer, and made his debut in the European Championships in Holland. As a result he had scarcely any time off to recover.

“He only had two weeks off in the summer,” his manager continued. “I think you’re dealing with a young man, probably thinking all he wants to do is play and he can get through it.

“It was only after the Coventry game, when he came off, he declared how sore it was and that it had been niggling him for some time.

“It’s probably a bit of naivety from a young player that wants to play all the time, desperate to play for his club. We’ll put that down to experience, I think.”

Curbishley is hopeful that the youngster and his team mates – Craig Bellamy, Dean Ashton, Bobby Zamora, Anton Ferdinand, Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg, Callum Davenport and James Collins – will recover by the time West Ham host Tottenham on November 25, after the international break.

Kieron Dyer and French international Julien Faubert have long term injuries, and are expected to be out for five months and three months respectively.

Labels: Alan Cubishley, Mark Noble, Premier League, West Ham United

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 2:18 pm | Permalink | Comments