Could there be another reason behind West Ham skipper Mark Noble being ‘rested’

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West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has revealed captain Mark Noble has been given time off to recharge his batteries.

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic with Mark Noble

The Hammers skipper has been criticised for his poor performances this season with many supporters questioning his place in the team.

Bilic has persisted to play star player Cheikhou Kouyate out of position at centre back and right back for most of the season to accommodate Noble among others.

The homegrown Hammer – who was granted a testimonial last year – was substituted as West Ham lost 3-2 last time out to Bournemouth, a result that leaves the East Londoners without a win in four games.

And this week he publicly hit out at fans, saying ‘most supporters don’t know what they’re talking about’ – as reported by Sky Sports.

Unsurprisingly that did not go down too well with the Hammers faithful who insist they know football well enough to realise he has been below par for most of the season.

Bilic told the press ahead of the game against Leicester City that Noble would be given time off for the game to recharge his batteries, as reported by ITV.

That is despite the fact West Ham have been out of all cup competitions since January, recently had a team break to Dubai and have a two-week international break after the match against the Foxes.

Bilic substitutes skipper Noble

It has led some fans to suggest there is more to Noble being ‘rested’, with many believing he has simply been dropped due to poor form and his ill-timed comments about supporters which came out on the day the club’s PR campaign over season ticket renewals went into overdrive.

With a potential 66,000 seats to fill next term, West Ham need to retain as many of their 52,000 season ticket holders as possible – a figure that is second only to Manchester United.

And comments like those made by Noble this week perhaps highlight the pressure the skipper is feeling at the moment.

Whatever the reason for his absence, the club will hope an extended break will be mutually beneficial and take a bit of the heat off the 29-year-old on and off the pitch.