West Ham United captain Mark Noble, has hit back at the critics asking him to be excluded from Slaven Bilic's side in recent weeks in what he has described as his hardest period at the club.
Don't understand the game
Noble has been one of the most loyal players in the club's history, having played for the Hammers since the age of 11 and is closing in on 400 appearances for the club.
However in the last few weeks the fans negativity has been turned on the 29-year-old who are calling for the midfielder to be dropped, Bilic has defended his captain's place in his side and Noble has since answered his critics by stating the understanding of the game has changed.
"If I am really honest," Noble told Sky Sports News HQ. "A lot of people who now go to football don't really understand the game."
"Football is a game of moments now," he conceded. "If someone does four step-overs, they've had an incredible game."
"That's not something I do," the 29-year-old admitted. "It's just football, you've got to live with it."
"Players like Wayne Rooney, some people want him out of the Manchester United team," Noble added. "That's why we are captains of our clubs, because we can handle that pressure."
Hardest period
It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the Hammers, with the move to the London Stadium surrounded in controversy and the demise and exit of star player Dimitri Payet.
They have also lacked consistent form throughout the campaign along with a number of significant injuries, however they seem to be on the rise again and though Noble admitted it has been tough he stated the side have dug in. "It's probably been the hardest [period] of my West Ham career, we've had so much to deal with off the pitch."
He added, "Obviously the move to the new stadium, the Dimi situation, so much has gone on." He conceded, "We lost four of our best players to injury in pre-season, which is hard to replace."
Noble concluded, "You've got to stick at it the players have dug in and though we've lost a couple of games. In this day and age you're not allowed to lose games."