Iron man Noble still fits the Bil

SLAVEN BILIC Is only too willing to confirm there is player power at West Ham.

But rather than the contentious kind which was alleged to have played such a significant part in the departure of Claudio Ranieri from Leicester, the West Ham manager welcomes the influence imposed on his squad by Mark Noble.

Noble is the captain of the club – but he is more than a token leader who wears an armband, leads the team from the tunnel and shakes hand with the opposition at the toss-up.

He is Bilic’s man in the dressing room. He is the man Bilic trusts to revive morale when results have reflected sporadic success in the teething problems evident since the relocation to the London Stadium.

“He has been very, very important for me,” said Bilic who is looking for a repeat of the EFL Cup win over Chelsea when combat is resumed in the Premier League tomorrow night.

“You need the core if your team to be English or British but the captain is the most important. I can only spend a certain amount of time with the players but not always in the dressing room where Mark is.

“It is crucial to have a captain like him. I am lucky with Mark.”

Noble – apart from loan spells at Hull and Ipswich during his fledgling years – has been a permanent fixture at West Ham. To Bilic, that has produced a family-like tie that means Noble feels setbacks more than anyone at the club.

“I hope every players hurts personally when things go wrong,” said Bilic. “In Mark’s case, it is big-time personal.”

Noble, 29, will probably never realise his dream of representing his country at full international level.

But Bilic said: “He should have been in the Euro 2016 squad. But now we have a new England manager. If Mark continues to play well he should have a great chance of being picked.”