Noble in pitch for calm

® MARK NOBLE appealed to West Ham fans to show class, get behind the team and not to make violent protests.

The Hammers yesterday vowed life bans for fans who invaded the pitch or threw missiles during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Burnley.

But with two fan groups planning more protests against the board, skipper Noble appealed for calm, amid relegation fears.

He said: “I’m probably as passionate as the fans themselves. I want the club to do well. You can’t show your emotions like that, by running on the pitch.

“The way our club has always been, we’re a really passionate bunch of people. But at times we show a bit of class and that wasn’t the case on Saturday.

“I feel it as well. The passion. We need them. We can’t do it without them. When West Ham fans are on song, there’s no-one better.

“Why don’t we show that passion and get behind the team and try and do something in the summer?

“We’ve only got eight games left. We’ve at least got to win three of them.”

West Ham will meet with fellow London Stadium stakeholders today to agree new security measures to prevent further violence.

Noble, who tussled with a fan on Saturday, defended accusations the squad’s training camp in Miami is little more than a jolly.

Noble said: “We’ve come away to speak some open truths and come back fighting. You hear people say we’ve gone on holiday.

“Believe me, it’s not a holiday, the way we train.”