Mark Noble fires back after fan criticism

West Ham captain Mark Noble has come out firing after recent criticism. It seems what people have been saying hasn’t dented his spirit.

Many people, including myself, have called for the West Ham skipper to be dropped. In terms of pure performance he just hasn’t been at the races recently and for me the best eleven doesn’t have him in it.

However the East London native is not prepared to go down without a fight. It seems that he is both prepared to accept the criticism as his captain role dictates, but he’s not prepared to accept the validity of what they’re. The Evening Standard reports him saying:

"“If I am really honest, a lot of people who now go to football don’t really understand the game,” he told Sky Sports.“Football is a game of moments now and if someone does four step-overs, they’ve had an incredible game. That’s not something I do.“It’s just football, you’ve got to live with it. The things Arsene Wenger has done for Arsenal and some people want him out.“Players like Wayne Rooney, some people want him out of the Manchester United team. That’s why we are captains of our clubs, because we can handle that pressure.”"

Moving Forward

In my opinion, he still needs to be dropped. It’s all good him pointing out that he can handle pressure, but as a Premier League player he needs to do more. Whilst he has a lot of the ball when the side are in possession, nothing really comes of it.

Next: 6 Talking Points From Bournemouth Loss

Other players would be better in his role and he needs to accept that his place might not be in the starting XI. As a fan I know he wouldn’t give up on the side, but the side might need to move on. It’s a tough time, on and off the pitch, but there’s no reason to drag it out.