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Furious West Ham captain Mark Noble tells team-mates harsh home truths after FA Cup exit


West Ham captain Mark Noble has told his team-mates that they need to look at themselves in the mirror following their FA Cup exit at the hands of West Brom.

The Hammers crashed out in the fourth round of the famous competition at the London Stadium on Saturday, with Conor Townsend’s early strike enough to secure a 1-0 win for the Championship side.

Noble started the match on the bench but was introduced by manager David Moyes after half-time following a toothless first half display.

With the London club currently facing a relegation battle in the Premier League, the 32-year-old revealed that the original plan had been to rest him and said that the team could not continue to rely on him to bail them out.

“Today was nowhere near good enough for the standard we should be at,” Noble told talkSPORT after the match.

Noble missed a good chance late in the game

“At a club at this level with the money we’ve spent, you can’t rely on me to come on at half-time during an FA Cup game.

“The manager knew I had played three games in a week, and we’ve got two big games at home.

“I spoke to him yesterday and he said he would be putting me on the bench today to save my legs.”

He continued: “When his team performs like that then what can you do? Listen I’ve just said to the players in there that we’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror – it’s no-one else’s fault.

“We’ve changed managers, we can’t use that excuse.

Conor Townsend scored the only goal of the game

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“We’ve got to say to ourselves did I work hard enough today? Was I good enough? And the answer for me was no.”

Saturday’s defeat was West Ham’s third in their last four games in all competitions, with the club currently hovering over the Premier League relegation zone in 17th.

With Moyes’ side set to come up against Liverpool in their next league game, before meetings with Brighton and Man City, Noble admitted that he is concerned.

The Hammers’ captain added: “I constantly worry about the club. I’m turning 33 soon and that’s where you’re at the age where you want to enjoy the last few years of your career.

“But when you’re fighting relegation battles, then trust me it isn’t enjoyable.”





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