Mark Noble reportedly intervened to prevent West Ham from making a potentially disastrous managerial appointment, persuading Daniel Kretinsky to choose Scott Parker instead of John Heitinga.

Scott Parker’s appointment has, initially at least, divided opinion among West Ham fans.

But it seems things could have been worse had Hammers chief Daniel Kretinsky got his way again.

Hammers News revealed in the summer that Kretinsky made the huge call to retain Nuno Espirito Santo following relegation from the Premier League.

David Sullivan wanted Nuno sacked after he failed to keep the club in the Premier League, but could not influence the decision after resigning from the Hammers board.

Noble reportedly stopped Kretinsky turning to unproven Heitinga

While Kretinsky thought Nuno would give West Ham continuity, the ill-advised call backfired when he had to sack the Portuguese following back-to-back home defeats to Championship rivals Southampton and West Brom and against the wider backdrop of just six wins from the club’s opening 13 games.

According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, West Ham held talks with Heitinga about potentially replacing Nuno both before and after the damaging 3-1 defeat to West Brom.

The Dutchman was interested in the opportunity, but Noble reportedly encouraged Kretinsky to appoint his former team-mate Parker instead.

That intervention could prove hugely significant for a club desperately trying to rescue its promotion campaign.

Heitinga was a serious candidate for the West Ham hierarchy despite his disappointing record as a manager.

The 42-year-old previously worked at the London Stadium as David Moyes’ assistant between September 2023 and May 2024, before joining Arne Slot’s coaching staff at Liverpool.

He subsequently returned to Ajax as head coach, but that experiment proved unsuccessful. He lasted just five months, winning only five of his 15 matches in all competitions. Ajax were eight points off the Eredivisie leaders when he was dismissed in November 2025, having also lost all four of their Champions League matches. He was then subsequently part of Thomas Frank’s coaching staff at Tottenham before leaving in February.

West Ham had already identified Parker as standout candidate

It is hardly an inspiring managerial CV for a club of West Ham’s size, particularly one expecting an immediate return to the Premier League.

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The report stated: “They held talks with Heitinga about potentially replacing Nuno before and after the loss to West Brom.”

It added that Noble had encouraged Kretinsky to appoint Parker, with the pair having played alongside one another for four years at West Ham.

The revelation follows a Hammers News exclusive that West Ham considered 10 managerial candidates before settling on Parker as the standout option.

Parker had already been on Kretinsky’s radar when West Ham were considering their managerial options following relegation last summer.

The former captain was viewed as an attractive candidate because of his exceptional Championship record, having secured promotion with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley.

But Kretinsky ultimately opted for continuity by retaining Nuno, a decision that spectacularly backfired.

Noble’s influence could prove crucial to West Ham’s future

West Ham suffered six defeats in their opening 13 Championship matches, including consecutive home losses against Southampton and West Brom. The latter proved the final straw, leaving the Hammers eighth and four points outside the automatic promotion places.

It is also a reminder of why having somebody with such a deep understanding of West Ham involved in major footballing decisions matters.

Noble knows the club, understands its supporters and has experienced the expectations that come with representing the Hammers.

Parker, meanwhile, arrives with three Championship promotions and a personal connection to east London that makes this a particularly significant appointment.

The new head coach now has the enormous task of getting West Ham back into the automatic promotion picture.

But had Noble not stepped in, the club could have been embarking on another managerial gamble instead.