Marko Arnautovic is showing why West Ham fans need to be more patient with new signings, says Mark Noble

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Ken Dyer11 December 2017

West Ham captain Mark Noble believes the progress Marko Arnautovic is starting to make shows that fans need to be more understanding with new signings.

Noble, one of many outstanding performances for West Ham in their 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday, also cited Carlos Tevez as an example of a player who took time to settle in England when he arrived at the club in August 2006.

Arnautovic has come in for much criticism following his club record £25million summer move from Stoke but scored the winner against Chelsea, his first for his side, having shown signs that he is prepared to knuckle down under new manager David Moyes.

“When you know players as people and you know their ability, you think something will click eventually,” said Noble.

“The biggest example here was Carlos Tevez, who took time to settle. Sometimes players won’t come in straight away and set the world alight. Their whole family has moved, it’s a new set of players, a new way of playing and sometimes it’s tough for them.

“Very rarely does a player come in and hit the ground running.

“They might not start well but you still have to stick by them, we have to see them as our ‘own’ and help them — not hammer them.

“Marko got a lot of stick but his goal has given us a 1-0 win over Chelsea.”

Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Noble also spoke about Moyes’s decision to keep goalkeeper Adrian in the team for the match against Chelsea, rather than recalling England international Joe Hart.

The Spaniard came into the side against Manchester City eight days ago when on-loan Hart was unable to face his parent club and although West Ham lost 2-1, Adrian impressed.

“It’s really tough,” said the West Ham captain. “Joe’s a top professional, a great lad and such an asset to our squad because he’s such a good person. The manager left me out against Leicester and he has to make those decisions but Joe has a similar attitude to me - the team has to come first.

“I’m not going to chuck my toys out of the pram and be in his office asking why he didn’t play me.

“I’ll let my training do the talking and be there for the players, help them as much as I can and be ready to come into the team when needed. Joe will be the same.”

Another player who stood out in Saturday’s victory was wing-back Arthur Masuaku. Noble said: “The manager asked me about him when he first came. He plays the same way in training with his trickery and his performance in the first half was fantastic.”

Photo: West Ham United via Getty Images
West Ham United via Getty Images

West Ham’s resilient defensive display against Chelsea was a sign that the hard work Moyes has demanded from his players is beginning to pay dividends.

Noble added: “We had a fantastic couple of seasons under Slaven Bilic but we’ve based our play now a lot more on team shape.

“The gaffer has come in and his sole aim is to get results. Clean sheets and a good shape get you results.

“What annoys me is you get people saying that you showed no ambition. Okay, we open up and play expansive football against Chelsea and you get beaten 5-0.

“We can’t spend £80million on a player so somehow you have to find a way of beating these big teams.

“We have to level it up somehow and that is by hard work and having a game plan which we executed brilliantly [against Chelsea].”

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