Joe Hart is not to blame for West Ham's slow start, insists captain Mark Noble

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Joe Hart is not to blame for his tough start to life at West Ham because the players in front of the England No 1 have not provided him with protection.

That is the view of Hammers captain Mark Noble, who wants his club to sort out the defensive side of things ahead of their first home fixture against Huddersfield Town.

Noble wants the London Stadium to be a fortress - and for Hart to finally enjoy wearing the West Ham shirt by getting the first win under his belt.

Mark Noble (left) insists Joe Hart is not to be blamed for his poor start in a West Ham shirt

Speaking at the launch of their third kit, Noble admitted the poor start is down to every player

'Joe has had a tough start to his West Ham career, but that's down to the whole team,' Noble told Sportsmail.

'He's England's No 1, he's a fantastic goalie and I think he'll stay No 1 for a while yet to come.

'He's a fantastic character. He's played in massive tournaments and won the Premier League so it's always nice to have that experience.

'We probably haven't protected him as well as we should have done in the first three games, but he's a leader, a great person and hopefully he can start his enjoyment of West Ham from next Monday night.'

West Ham have conceded 10 goals so far this season, having lost their first three matches in the top flight.

Hammers new boy Marko Arnautovic has also endured a tough start since joining from Stoke

Yet they have been forced to play away from home due to other commitments with the London Stadium, and are ready to return to host a Premier League tie on September 11.

'I can't wait to play at home, we're really looking forward to it,' Noble added. 'Obviously it hasn't been an ideal start to the season for us with three defeats but I'm sure we'll turn it around and we need to make this place a bit of a fortress this year.

'In this league you always look to win and we obviously want the three points against Huddersfield. They've started really well, the adrenaline of being new to the Premier League is there – a lot of the players and the club haven't been here before – but we want three points from our first home game.'

Joe Hart has conceded 10 goals in three games and Noble is hopeful things will change for him

Mark Noble spoke to Sportsmail at the launch of West Ham United’s 2017/18 Umbro Third Kit. To purchase yours today visit officialwesthamstore.com