Noble: West Ham weren’t good enough in the first half
Hammers midfield does believe second half performance will give side confidence
WEST Ham midfielder Mark Noble believes the Hammers second half performance against West Brom will give them confidence in the battle to beat the drop.
The east Londoners battled back from three goals down at the Hawthorns to claim a draw against their relegation rivals, thanks to a Demba Ba double and Carlton Cole header.
West Ham were abject in the first half and the hosts could have been four or five goals to the good, before a second half revival from the visitors meant they avoided what would have been a huge loss.
“It was a good second half, but we can’t start the way we did. It wasn’t good enough and we got punished. Credit to the lads, though, because things were said at half time and we showed a bit of pride and didn’t let the away fans who travelled up there down,” Noble said.
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“It was a bit of everyone, really, not just the staff, because everyone was so disappointed. Emotions were running high. It isn’t the most ideal result for us, but I’m sure we can pull out a lot of positives from our performance in the second half and go into the next game with some confidence.
“I really don’t know what happened. It was just a collection of loads of things and we got punished. That’s what happens in this league, because no matter where you are in the table, there are quality players out there.”
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And Noble, who set up two of the goals, was quick to praise the Hammers impressive strike-force.
“The first half, Demba probably didn’t know what to expect in the Premier League. A lot of players don’t. I wouldn’t say he was off the pace, though, because he’s a lot quicker than me!” Noble smiled.
“In the second half, he was fantastic. He won headers, got to the by-line and cross them and managed to get a couple of goals, which was fantastic. Obviously we’re going to need a player like him over the next couple of games.
“Coley has got a busted lip for putting his head where it hurts and Freddie Piquionne came on and was brilliant as well.
“We’ve got to score goals to win games, so if we can do that and not let them in then I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
