Mark Noble has been made the West Ham club captain in his 10th season at Upton Park, following Kevin Nolan’s departure last month.
The midfielder is the longest-serving player in the squad having made 328 appearances, a club record 226 in the Premier League, and has worn the armband since Nolan left because of a lack of first-team football.
West Ham play Newcastle on Monday night in the Premier League, and Noble wrote in his new programme column: “When you are at a massive Premier League club like West Ham United playing in the best league in the world, to be captain and be brought up in the same area is something very special for me, for my family and the fans because they can relate to it.
“I have stood in for Kevin Nolan in the past and, in my eyes, he has been a top captain,” wrote Noble, who was born and raised in East London. “He has brought the dressing room together and done all the stuff on the inside that nobody sees. I’ve watched Kev and how he dealt with things and I’ve learned a lot from him and hopefully I can be as good a captain as he was.”
