TOGETHER to Puel: Players have bought a into what I want to do & them’
MARK NOBLE
fans to give Bilic’s team time to settle into their new surroundings.
He said: “You move into a 60,000-seater stadium and it takes time to settle.
“Winning, of course, helps. It makes the mood better and it’s what we have to do.
“We probably have the best squad here since I have been playing. The way we are together is fantastic and I believe it’s just the way football is.
“Sometimes stuff just doesn’t go for you. We have to dig ourselves out of this by working hard. When things are going wrong you do need a little bit of luck to turn it all round as well as a lot of hard work.”
Bilic’s job could have been on the line had a piece of Dimitri Payet free-kick magic not dug his side out of trouble against Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup in midweek.
And Noble, 29, said: “I’ve been in the game long enough to know it isn’t going to go great all the time. But hard work and team spirit does get you out of these situations.
“If Accrington Stanley had nicked a win last week it would have been a real low. But thanks to Dimi we can start looking on the positive side.”
Noble also pointed out that injuries to key men such as Aaron Cresswell, Winston Reid and Andre Ayew have not helped the Hammers’ cause.
He said: “I see the players every day and I am the first one to say that this league will punish you.
“Within a couple of weeks of the start of the season we had injuries to three or four important members of the team but we knew it was going to be tough.
“But we have players coming back from injury now and we’ll be fine. I honestly believe in this team, in this manager and in this squad.” BOSS Claude Puel believes his whole Saints squad have taken his footballing philosophy to their hearts.
After collecting a first Premier League win under their new French coach last weekend, Southampton made it three straight victories when they knocked Crystal Palace out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
And starting today at the London Stadium, the men from St Mary’s go on a run of three tough games before the international break.
Following the West Ham game, Southampton’s European campaign continues with a five-hour flight to southern Israel for Thursday night’s Europa League tie against Hapoel Be’er Sheva before preparing to tackle Leicester on Sunday.
Puel rotated his squad for both their opening Europa League win over Sparta Prague, when Charlie Austin scored twice in the 3-0 win, and again for the Palace cup match, which saw eight changes.
The French coach (right) who had spells with Monaco, Lille, Lyon and Nice before coming to England following Ronald Koeman’s summer departure, has faith in whatever team he selects.
“With all of these matches it is important to keep good energy and possibilities.
“We must keep the same identity now all of the players have this philosophy and it is important to keep this idea, the level of our game,” Puel said.
“Our different players can show their qualities, because they all participate with the same idea and organisation.
“This means we have the possibilities to change the starting line-up of the team without changing the style of the team, we must continue with this way.”
Puel added: “These three games away are going to be difficult but also a very good challenge, in that my players can show they have the ability to stay strong with a good level and I hope with good results.
“It is the most difficult thing after all the long travels, with the physical demands of the games and playing with energy, to go to Israel and come back, then after two days to play Leicester.
“But it is important first to stay concentrated about West Ham, because this will be a very difficult game.”
The Hammers sit third bottom of the Premier League, with just three points from five matches.
Slaven Bilic’s injury-hit squad edged past Accrington 1-0 in the cup on Wednesday night, a result which halted a run of four straight defeats.
Having lost three successive Premier League matches, conceding four against both Watford and then last week at West Brom, Puel knows his Saints team will have to watch it. “Whether these results have been because it is difficult for them to play in the new stadium, I don’t know but I am sure that we are going to be seeing a good team with a good reaction, so it is key for us to be ready in own mind,” said Puel. “We have to show intensity, quality and a desire to play this game.”
GREG ADAMS