West Ham vs Southampton: Mark Noble criticises Hammers performance as 'laughable'
The Hammers remain in the relegation zone with just three points from six games and they have now conceded 14 goals in their last four league matches
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West Ham captain Mark Noble described his team’s performance as “laughable” and admitted the scoreline could have been far more brutal after his team were hammered 3-0 by Southampton at the London Stadium.
The Hammers remain in the relegation zone with just three points - a nervous 1-0 win over Bournemouth - from six games and they have now conceded 14 goals in their last four league matches.
"We started all right,” Noble said, “and then ‘bang’ we conceded a goal and we never looked in it. If I'm honest it could have been six in the end. On the bright side, I don't think it can get any worse.
“Eleven goals [conceded] in three games is laughable and it's not good enough,” he added on Sky Sports. “When you are losing it is [a flat atmosphere]. I think we could have kept playing until tonight and we wouldn't have scored.
“It’s not good enough but luckily it’s early in the season and we’ve got time to turn it round.”
Slaven Bilic, the West Ham manager, was just as disappointed as his captain and admitted it was painful to see the new stadium all but empty before the end with just a pocket of Southampton fans celebrating.
“An empty ground is not a good sight,” he said. “It is very frustrating. Compared to Bournemouth when all the people were celebrating - it hurts, as a manager and as a team.”
Bilic took the blame and refused to single out players. “It is my responsibility,” he said. “It is my team. I do not want to point fingers at individuals. One player can make a mistake but this is four games, it is a team mistake. All of us. It is 80 per cent the same players, same crowd, same manager as last season. Everything that was good last year for the majority of the season is bad this season. Everything that was average last season is way below par this."
The manager also promised to continue fighting in his attempts to arrest the situation. He blamed confidence as a key factor in the poor performance but says he has faith the players can improve.
“Confidence is a big part,” he added. “It is very hard to have confidence when you are 2-0 down. It is a chain. We have had defeats against West Brom and Watford…and confidence is then low already.
“Of course I am asking my self questions all the time: ‘What can you do better?’ But I do that when you are winning. I am a hard worker. I believe in myself and the team around me. Of course, I’m low today, I am not giving up though.”
Claude Puel, who has now overseen four consecutive victories in all competitions for Southampton, was understandably pleased, especially with the display after the break.
“We had a very good second half,” the Frenchman said. “It was not good play in the first half but in the second half you can see a team and players with a good technical quality. We kept the ball better. It’s a pleasure to see my players when they are enjoying good football.”
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