West Ham lose leader for a run of crucial relegation clashes
Published:Mark Noble has been West Ham’s most improved player this season and his fight and determination will be crucial in West Ham’s fight to avoid relegation.
Except Noble will miss the next month after undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed, during that time West Ham face crunch home ties against West Brom, Blackpool and Wigan.
Those three games will be crucial in determining West Ham’s season and Avram Grant knows his side must take maximum points in those three games or the 10/11 on offer for West Ham to be relegated will shorten dramatically.
Grant has already compared Noble to Maradona this season, and the player who had yet to meet the high expectations that the Hammers fans placed on him entering the season, has been the shining light in West Ham’s miserable start to the season.
Alongside Scott Parker, Noble has formed an exciting partnership that Parker has hugely benefitted from this season, and the 23-year-old’s absence for the Hammers over this crucial period may be their downfall.
Noble’s heart and determination are what set him apart from the rest in his breakthrough Premier League season in 2006/07 and also earned him the England captaincy at the under-19 and under-21 level.
Without that leadership, West Ham will have to struggle through the next month as they seek a rise up the Premier League table.
November is a big month for West Ham and Avram Grant and if the Hammers are still rooted to the bottom of the table come December, don’t expect Grant to be at the realm.
The man who led Chelsea to the Champions League final is the 9/4 favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave.
Blackpool and Wigan are also odds on to be relegated at 1/2 and 4/5 respectively. See the full Barclays Premier League football betting odds here.
