Sporting director Mark Noble has bucked the trend as he singles out West Ham fans amid the current blame game at the club.
West Ham are fighting for their Premier League lives this season as David Moyes struggles to find the answers to get the team winning games consistently.
Just 15 wins in the last 53 Premier League matches across this season and last tells its own story.
Many supporters have long since grown tired of Moyes’ approach to matches. That, and West Ham’s horrendous form as a result, is making it tough for fans to get motivated at home games.
The loyal Hammers support still turns up to sell out home and away, though.
And despite 15 months of struggle to get results in the Premier League, West Ham’s hardcore away support stuck by Moyes right up until the recent 4-0 drubbing at Brighton.
At other clubs – many far smaller than West Ham – the Scot would likely have been hounded out a long time ago with that record.
But whatever the failings of the manager, his staff and the players it seems West Ham fans are never far from being blamed for the team’s struggles.
Moyes has taken regular pot shots at the fans and did so again at the weekend in his program notes.
The Scot also criticised supporters with a clear dig after the draw with Villa.
Hammers supporters then had The Daily Mail’s Ian Ladyman – himself a West Ham fan – telling them they are hurting the team by being too quiet and making their displeasure known at games.
But there is someone willing to speak out and defend the Hammers faithful it seems.
Sporting director Mark Noble has bucked the trend as he singles out West Ham fans amid the blame game.
Noble was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to London Football award at the 2023 London Football Awards last night.
And he made sure to remind everyone just how special downtrodden West Ham fans are.
“I am here picking this award up not just for myself but for my entire family, and for all the West Ham United fans that have paid money and followed me across my career,” Noble said on accepting the award.
“They are a really special group of fans and this isn’t just for me, it’s for them.”
Given the award was about Noble and what he has contributed to London football down the years, he could have made it all about him, his former managers, teammates the club or his family.
But he didn’t. He made sure to make special mention of West Ham’s fans. And something tells me Noble knew exactly what he was doing having seen the supporters take a very harsh bashing from some quarters of late.
If only he was still in that changing room…
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