MARK NOBLE will NOT be swayed from retirement — even if West Ham win the Europa League.
The Hammers skipper instead dreams of watching his beloved club in the Champions League at the London Stadium next season with the Europa League trophy in the seat next to him.
West Ham are on the verge of securing Champions League football Credit: GETTY
But the prospect of Champions League football won’t postpone Mark Noble’s retirement plans Credit: REX Noble, 34, announced in March last year that he would hang up his boots at the end of this campaign.
It will close the curtain on over two decades in east London from academy hopeful to Irons legend.
His time as a West Ham player is creeping towards its emotional finale, one that could end on a historic high by lifting a European trophy on May 18 in Seville and earning Champions League qualification for the club.
To do that, David Moyes’ men will need to get past Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals with the first leg at the London Stadium tonight.
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Inside West Ham’s dressing room party that Noble cleaned after meeting Corden Yet not even the draw of playing amongst Europe’s elite is enough to make Noble reconsider — even if he admits winning the Europa would be “life-changing”.
Asked about a potential U-turn with the huge prize at stake, Noble chuckled: “I’ve been asked this question so many times by so many people.
“The reason we’d get into the Champions League is by winning the Europa League.
“Winning and lifting the trophy, would I come back? No. And that’s my honest answer. To end on that would be pretty special.
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“I was joking with the lads the other day saying if that did happen, I would happily come watch the Champions League games with the Europa League trophy on the next chair. But that is way down the line.”
This fixture brings back fond memories of a 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final where Trevor Brooking & Co knocked out Frankfurt to reach the final, only to lose out to Belgium’s Anderlecht 4-2.
On becoming legends by going one step further, Noble added: “If we win it, yes.
“I’ve given my life to this club. Through the bad times and the tough times.
“The one mainstay for the last 19 years has been myself.
“I’m proud of that, but winning the competition would be life-changing for all these players.
Mark Noble will say an emotional goodbye to West Hams in the summer Credit: GETTY “Also, for a club and fanbase that has really stuck with their team. We get 60,000 every week. It would be a really good payback for them.”
To the dismay of Nou Camp regulars, 30,000 Frankfurt fans got in as they stunned Barcelona in the last round — winning 4-3 on aggregate.
There is little chance of a reoccurrence, with only a reported 5,000 rowdy German supporters making the trip to London, as well as serious ban threats from West Ham for those who sell their tickets to away fans.
Yet Moyes is confident the home faithful can drown out the noise — just like they did against Sevilla in last-16 and Lyon in the quarter-finals.
The Hammers boss said: “When I heard they took 30,000 to Barcelona, I thought, ‘Wow!’
“We’ve now got a really good stadium, a fantastic crowd. I hope we can show what we’ve got too.
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Russia threatens to strike targets in Britain over UK weapons in Ukraine “When you become a manager, you want to make sure the supporters are getting a decent level of football, a bit of success. You want to give them something back.
“There’s been a much better togetherness between the supporters and the players. If we can get the London Stadium the way it was for Sevilla, it will take some doing.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
