Should West Ham go with Wilshere or Noble against Norwich?

West Ham take on Norwich this weekend with most positions nailed down. But who will partner Rice in midfield? The Dynamic Jack Wilshere, or one club man Mark Noble?

It seems to be a debate had every year, only for the man himself to settle it. But Mark Noble’s place in the West Ham lineup is once again in doubt. Jack Wilshere was prefered in the opening two league games, and scored in midweek. So who gets the nod at the weekend?

For some the man who has been at the club for 15 years is undroppable. His passion and commitment to the club is second to none and he gives everything on the pitch. But for others Wilshere is an upgrade; dynamic in the middle, a top attacking threat and a terrier in defence. And unless we sacrifice an attacking player, they can’t both play. Because we all know Rice is name No.1 on the team sheet.

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If you were to isolate both players’ technical abilities and look at how they can impact a match at the peak of their abilities, I think Wilshere is the better player. He has the ability to get the ball forward quicker, is better at dribbling and is much pacier. Noble is certainly no spring chicken, and at times can be guilty of playing one too many boring passes. But the game isn’t played on paper, and not everyone in the side needs to be scoring and creating.

Noble brings a sense of responsibility for the side, and leads every single player on the pitch to do better. When he’s on the pitch you sense we win more 50/50s, are quicker to the ball and far more alert when using it. Whether it’s what he’s saying to the players directly or just his presence around the side is fairly irrelevant, he pumps the side up and really helps get the players out of a slump.

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So for me the answer is Noble. Wilshere is a high quality player and could fit well into a side that is used to winning and believes in itself. I don’t this is West Ham side is there yet, and they need Noble to bind them together for now. Norwich will be a tricky tie and I don’t think we want to expose a soft underbelly to a newly promoted side that is high on their game. The one club man has to be playing whilst we build up our confidence.