We analyse Mark Noble’s goalscoring contribution against West Brom
It has been a special season for Mark Noble.
The 28-year-old midfielder was handed the captaincy of his boyhood Club last summer, he has celebrated a memorable testimonial in front of 35,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground, and now he has notched his highest tally of Premier League goals in a season.
With West Ham United knocking on the door of European qualification, their inspirational skipper has been a major driving force behind that.
With 1,791 passes to his name this term, the No16 leads the Hammers squad for his distribution of the ball, completing an impressive 86.5 per cent of those passes.
He also screens the defence effectively, with an average of 2.7 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game.
However, with four goals in his last two games, it is his goalscoring which has caught the eye in recent weeks – to cap what has been his most impressive campaign in front of goal in the top flight.
For an infrequent goalscorer from open play, his double at The Hawthorns on Saturday was a fine example of what he is capable of, as he bust a lung to get into the box to convert Cheikhou Kouyate’s lay-off just before half-time, before he showed immaculate technique to volley Andy Carroll’s cross home near the end.
Added to his brace of penalties against Watford eleven days previously, his four-goal burst in two matches equalled his return from his previous 57 Barclays Premier League appearances.
Noble has now notched seven times this season – with those strikes taking in all kind of goals.
After opening his account for the campaign with a penalty against AFC Bournemouth, he showed great precision to find the bottom corner in the 3-0 victory at Liverpool when the ball broke to him on the edge of the box.
There was a bit of a wait for his next goal – but he ended it in style with a real ping into the top corner to salvage a point in the 2-2 draw at Norwich City in February.
His penalty taking ability has never been in doubt, and he scored two more from the spot against Watford following fouls on Cheikhou Kouyate and Michail Antonio, before showing bravery to poke home his first against West Brom, and real class to rifle in his second.
The 28-year-old midfielder was handed the captaincy of his boyhood Club last summer, he has celebrated a memorable testimonial in front of 35,000 fans at the Boleyn Ground, and now he has notched his highest tally of Premier League goals in a season.
With West Ham United knocking on the door of European qualification, their inspirational skipper has been a major driving force behind that.
With 1,791 passes to his name this term, the No16 leads the Hammers squad for his distribution of the ball, completing an impressive 86.5 per cent of those passes.
He also screens the defence effectively, with an average of 2.7 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game.
However, with four goals in his last two games, it is his goalscoring which has caught the eye in recent weeks – to cap what has been his most impressive campaign in front of goal in the top flight.
For an infrequent goalscorer from open play, his double at The Hawthorns on Saturday was a fine example of what he is capable of, as he bust a lung to get into the box to convert Cheikhou Kouyate’s lay-off just before half-time, before he showed immaculate technique to volley Andy Carroll’s cross home near the end.
Added to his brace of penalties against Watford eleven days previously, his four-goal burst in two matches equalled his return from his previous 57 Barclays Premier League appearances.
Noble has now notched seven times this season – with those strikes taking in all kind of goals.
After opening his account for the campaign with a penalty against AFC Bournemouth, he showed great precision to find the bottom corner in the 3-0 victory at Liverpool when the ball broke to him on the edge of the box.
There was a bit of a wait for his next goal – but he ended it in style with a real ping into the top corner to salvage a point in the 2-2 draw at Norwich City in February.
His penalty taking ability has never been in doubt, and he scored two more from the spot against Watford following fouls on Cheikhou Kouyate and Michail Antonio, before showing bravery to poke home his first against West Brom, and real class to rifle in his second.