David Moyes offered a 13-word explanation for the mystery absence of West Ham star Mark Noble at Brentford.
Hammers skipper Noble may not play much nowadays but he certainly would not have done any worse than his teammates in the woeful 2-0 defeat.
What was noticeable throughout was a lot of bickering between West Ham players during the game.
Declan Rice was constantly throwing his arms up in the air and chastising the likes of Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and midfield partner Tomas Soucek.
Craig Dawson admitted after the game there were a lot of angry players in the West Ham dressing room.
So perhaps the absence of Noble had a bigger impact on West Ham than many people appreciate.
It is well known that the captain remains very much a leader in the changing room ahead of his retirement at the end of the season.
Fans wondering where Noble was now have their answer thanks to comments from the manager following the defeat.
Moyes offered a 13-word explanation for the mystery absence of West Ham star Noble at Brentford.
And it was illness, not injury, that ruled Noble out with Moyes wary of other players picking up a bug ahead of such an important run in.
“Felt a wee bit under the weather today so didn’t take any chances,” Moyes said on Noble’s absence from the West Ham squad (Football.London).
This is a one-off game. But it should also be a big concern for West Ham going forward.
Noble may still be around the club next season in some capacity.
But the Hammers need new leaders to help Moyes keep standards high.
Rice is the obvious one but with his future the subject of fervent speculation, it would leave a huge leadership void in a dressing room renowned for its team spirit and work ethic, if he too were to depart.
A couple of months ago Moyes said he foresees a changing of the guard in terms of leadership at West Ham this summer (The Evening Standard).
If the game at Brentford was a glimpse at what that transition might look like then getting the right characters really is vital in the next transfer window.
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