West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble has congratulated the board for keeping Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke away from Chelsea.

"The manager and Steve Clarke have been a great asset to the club," said Noble. "I think we look so much more solid now and it's about time that we were able to compete.

"I'm only 21 and I've already seen a lot of managers come and go but the way the boss and Steve bounce off each other really works. Steve has been in the game for so long and you respect the manager for who he is and what he has done."

He added: "They complete each other and they really get their point across and know exactly how they want to play.

"The manager came in and put so much belief in everyone that they go out and play freely."