When West Ham United posted about much-loved homegrown captain Mark Noble on social media it backfired somewhat.

West Ham are finishing the season strongly.

An historic first win at bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur’s glorious new ground was followed by a 3-0 home victory over Southampton.

It means the Hammers will finish in the top half with victory over Watford in the last game of the season.

Photo by Arfa Griffiths West Ham United via Getty Images

Mr West Ham, the captain fantastic

Central to the club’s improved form of late has been skipper Noble.

Often the go-to scapegoat when things aren’t going well in East London, Noble has been immense.

The Canning Town-born midfielder turned 32 on Wednesday and – with a fair wind – should bring up 500 games for his beloved club next season.

But whether giddy from improved recent results or just wanting to give Noble a boost on the eve of his birthday West Ham’s media team appeared to get a touch carried away this week.

Posting on Twitter, the Hammers wrote “Imagine thinking your captain is better than ours,” alongside a video of Noble making a great tackle in the win over the Saints.

Photo by Dan Istitene Getty Images

West Ham post backfires on Twitter

For many West Ham fans there is no better captain than Nobes.

But supporters of other clubs jumped all over the post, which came just a day after Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany scored potentially one of the most iconic goals of the Premier League era.

Most responses mocked the Hammers for the comment, listing a host of examples of what they felt were better captains.

Indeed even some West Ham fans were embarrassed by it, urging the club to delete it.

If nothing else is started an interesting debate online.

Photo by James Griffiths West Ham United via Getty Images

Mercilessly trolled but Noble will stand the test of time

Whether that was the express intention in the first place is another thing.

Here is a selection of replies to the post as West Ham were trolled mercilessly. Although there were some complimentary comments for Noble too in the deluge.

Not that we care what other fans think. We love Noble and wouldn’t swap him for anyone. Except maybe Messi. Or Ronaldo. Well you get the point.

 
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