Noble’s tearful ‘family’ farewell

THIS won’t be the last the London Stadium sees of Mark Noble. He’ll be back. Born in Canning Town and raised in the club’s famed academy, West Ham is Noble’s past and present. Expect it to be his future, too. Talks are ongoing over how the club can best utilise him in an executive capacity. Noble, it is understood, wants a position that he can sink his teeth into; a role that provides tangible responsibility for shaping a club to which he dedicated his life. He doesn’t want to make up the numbers. During an 18-year senior career, the 35-year-old has lived and breathed West Ham. His influence on the team is unrivalled: the passes, the tackles, the energy, the hunger, the drive, the goals — 62 of them. Quite why Noble was never given a chance at international level remains one of English football’s mysteries. West Ham coach Kevin Keen, who helped nurture Noble in the academy, put it rather bluntly at half-time. ‘It’s a joke from the FA,’ he said. Looking forward, Declan Rice is the heir to Noble’s throne — but it is unlikely the 23-year-old will dedicate his entire career to West Ham. That is no criticism of Rice, but emphasises what West Ham had in Noble. The epitome of a one-club man. There hasn’t been an ounce of sentiment attached to Noble’s involvement. The local lad has earned all his 540-plus appearances. David Moyes stuck Noble on the bench yesterday. And Noble would not have had it any other way. He got on for the final 13 minutes to steady a West Ham ship that was rocking after surrendering a 2-0 lead. Yet Noble’s non-selection didn’t prevent the fans bidding their captain an emotional farewell. Upton Park is Noble’s spiritual home but here the London Stadium rose as one to salute the midfielder, who was sent out before kick-off to soak up the adulation. The strain of the occasion was etched across Noble’s face as he strode on to his home pitch for the last time as a professional footballer to be greeted with a fan mosaic that read ‘MN16’. Tears streamed down his face (below) as he went to take his place on the bench. Post-match, Noble’s last hurrah was in full swing. Flanked by a host of current and former team-mates, he said: ‘I’ve got a lot of family here today — and when I say a lot of family, I mean 60,000. I hope in the last 18 years that I’ve done you proud.’ Then it was left to one of the most recognisable East Enders of them all to sum up how West Ham feel about Noble. ‘One of our own, forever our boy,’ roared Danny Dyer on the big screen. And for once, Dyer wasn’t acting.