Craig Bellamy has made a surprise judgement on his former West Ham United teammate Mark Noble
West Ham skipper Noble has come under intense criticism for his performances in the last 18 months and was booed off after being substituted in the 4-1 drubbing at home to Liverpool last time out.
That defeat cost likeable manager Slaven Bilic his job and the Croatian was quickly replaced by David Moyes in the Hammers hot seat.
Fans and pundits have been critical of West Ham’s players since the change of manager accusing them of being lazy and taking their foot off the pedal.
It was also noted that none of the current squad had spoken on social media or in the press to wish Bilic well since his departure.
The topic was debated on Sky Sports’ The Debate this week where Geoff Shreeves noted that captain Noble had publicly supported the manager in the past.
Another former Hammers captain Steve Lomas described Noble as a ‘proper geezer’.
And Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard also defended Noble after the defeat to the Reds last weekend saying he deserved more respect because he has ‘sacrificed his career for the club’.
But the fact he is a home-grown Hammer cuts little ice with Craig Bellamy who was critical of his old Hammers teammate.
Noble and Bellamy embrace during their time together at West Ham
“I love Nobes, honestly, loved him, loved him as a person,” Bellamy told The Debate.
“But he needs to do more. He needs to do more as a player as well at the present moment.
“There’s a lot of them at the moment getting affected (by the malaise). It’s all very well you can talk and hold meetings but you’ve got to take care of your performance as well.
“You’ve got to start leading on the pitch, not just off it.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
