Mark got up to a few tricks as a kid, paying £5 to a his mate on a burger stall at the ground and receiving £20 in change. He was also briefly tempted by hooliganism but after seeing a ruck with Millwall fans decided it was all a bit too scary.
From a young age he knows he's a bit special at football and with a lot of support from his dad, turns down approaches from Arsenal and Millwall and opts for the Irons. Another rock in his life is his girlfriend and now wife Carly.
Nobes has some interesting thoughts on his managers, not least the revelation that the players tried to talk Gianfranco Zola into making a comeback as a player, he was that good. He respected Sam Allardyce and seems to agree with Big Sam that the West Ham Way is more about showing you care than pretty football. He also feels that Sam lost focus in the final half season when it was clear his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
Nobes feels Payet should have spoken to his skipper first about his homesickness, but that Dimi still, "made my life as West Ham captain so beautiful for 18 months". There's also a section of the players' japes, and you probably don't want to know what Robert Snodgrass did with Nobes' slippers.
Noble's take on removing that pitch invader against Burnley is interesting. "It was my way of saying 'Look, I'm a fucking West Ham fan. I've supported the team since I was born. But you don't run on the field of play.' I was as frustrated as anyone. I trained hard every day and hurt when we lost. Yet its not fair to affect the game and disturb the players." That evening he went home and when Carly brought him a cup of tea he burst into tears at the state of the club. He has a lot of respect for David Moyes and his decision to take the players on a break after that Burnley debacle.
You get a sense of how difficult it has been at times being both a West Han fan and a player, but Noble has certainly earned our affection. Having him back at the club can only be a good thing.
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