Mark Noble column: West Ham have learned lessons from Liverpool defeat, our season starts here

I said in my first column last week that the two games you wouldn’t have wanted on the opening day of the season were Liverpool and Manchester City away, especially when you have five players making their debuts.

Well, we drew one of those short straws and no, it didn’t go as well as we would have hoped.

What I would say though is that Liverpool will do something similar to a lot of other teams this season. The always work incredibly hard as a unit and even more so last Sunday, with their new players trying to impress the manager.

We needed to learn some lessons from last weekend though – and quickly move on, which I believe we’ve done.

Our season effectively starts at the London Stadium tomorrow against Bournemouth and we’re ready for that challenge. There will be some who expect us, with all our new additions and a stronger squad, to just turn up and roll them over but that’s not going to happen.

They’re a good side, they began their season with a home win over Cardiff last Saturday and I really respect what Eddie Howe has done at that club.

His philosophy of recruiting players who work hard for each other within a team concept has brought its rewards. You might look at their team and say there are no stellar individual performers but they are a real team, similar to Burnley but with a different style of playing.

If Bournemouth play against a team who maybe have more individual talent than them but are not one hundred per cent committed, then they’ll probably come out on top.

That’s the Premier League these days and it’s different from some of the other European leagues where the top teams regularly go to those further down the pecking order and roll them over.

Following Sunday’s defeat, we had Monday off and then came in on Tuesday and had a team meeting. We had a good chat and the general drift amongst all of us really – staff and players – was to learn from our mistakes but then put it behind us quickly.

Obviously, under the manager we are playing a new way and it is going to take time. I was reading the Liverpool programme last Sunday and James Milner had a column there, where he said that when he came to the club, it was really tough to learn the way Jurgen Klopp wanted to play.

I know ‘Millie’ well, he’s a good footballer, a real athlete and I respect his words.

I believe that, in Klopp’s first season, 2015-16, after he had taken over in October, Liverpool finished eighth and we beat them twice at home, in the Premier league and the FA Cup.

So it does take time but in the Premier League these days, you don’t get much of that.

I did, in last week’s column, ask for some patience and I am sure the vast majority of our supporters – and there are no better in the league – understand.

Yes, Social media can be a problem and I’ll be honest, I do read some of it. I know I shouldn’t because often it gives me the major hump but freedom of speech is important and we have to get used to it because it’s not going away anytime soon.

I don’t look at it often, I don’t have the time but I watched a clip the other day, where there’s someone slating his team’s players and people in the background are laughing and cheering. It wasn’t West Ham by the way.

I do have a twitter account but I use it sparingly, when I want to highlight a charity function, a football camp or something like that.

Training has gone well this week though and our manager, who has been in charge of a top club in the Premier League before in Manchester City, will know better than most that it takes time, especially with nine new players.

We do need some points on the board though because that will settle the manager, the players and helps you enjoy your football much more.

I do believe the new players understand and appreciate the situation. They know that Liverpool played in the Champions League Final in May. We have 37 games left and there will be ups and downs along the way.

Don’t worry about Declan... he’s strong and believes in himself

Young players can be seriously affected by events and there are some West Ham fans who might be concerned about Declan Rice, who was substituted at half-time against Liverpool.

What I’ve found about Declan though is that, he may be just 19 but he has a really mature head on his shoulders.

As an example, we’d had a meal in the hotel in Liverpool before the game and we shared a lift going back to our rooms.

As one of the more experienced players, I know what we are about to face at Anfield later that day, the atmosphere, the intensity, top opposition.

I asked him: “How are you feeling mate? Are you nervous?”

He replied: “Not really, it’s only a game of football after all.”

In a way he’s right of course and I just thought to myself: ‘Blimey, I wish I’d had that sort of outlook and attitude when I was 19!’

Declan may be young and still learning the game but he has such a good head on his shoulders – he’s mentally strong and he believes in his own ability.

It’s great to be like that, although Declan knows he can come and talk to me anytime.

A similar thing happened to me when I was 17. We were playing away at Blackburn, things weren’t going well and I got taken off at half-time by Alan Pardew.

I hadn’t played well but I never forget, I sat there afterwards questioned whether I was good enough for the top level. I had the inner determination though, to put that thought out of my mind and promise myself I would get back into the team.

Knowing Declan, he will use last weekend as a learning curve and as a spur to go on and continue to improve. He will be fine.

Finally, I can’t wait for tomorrow, the first home game of the season. The atmosphere will be great and it’s a great chance for three points.

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Appearances made by Declan Rice in the Premier League — he made his debut at Burnley in May 2017

The players and staff are not silly. We knew it was going to be tough at Liverpool but you have to put it behind you, smile when you go into work, enjoy the week and go into the game with a positive mental attitude.

The new players, those that haven’t played in the Premier League before, will have been surprised by the pace and power.

Felipe Anderson, for example, would not have experienced that before, especially not in Italy. I’ve seen him in training though and he has all the attributes.

He’s not one of those characters who will sulk or get too ‘down’ about things. He’s still smiling, whether he’s out on the training pitch or back in the gym – and that’s the attitude you need.

We will lose other games and we will have our disappointments but it’s how you bounce back and stay together that is really important.