West Ham United captain Mark Noble has hit out at Arsenal manager Unai Emery.
Homegrown Hammers skipper Noble has been a regular fixture in the Premier League for over 15 years now.
He has seen it all in that time and has been one of the club’s most reliable and consistent performers.
Under Manuel Pellegrini West Ham have quietly been building something.
Indeed 49 points from their last 31 games means West Ham have the best record outside the top six in that period, just three less than Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham tipped to challenge Arsenal and co for top six
So it figures that the Hammers are being widely tipped to challenge the likes of Arsenal for the top six.
Arsenal are under pressure to improve this season too having invested heavily in the summer.
The influx of new players appears to have left Emery unable to decide who should lead his group on the pitch.
So he decided to delegate the decision over who should be captain to his players last week (Telegraph).
Noble slams Gunners boss over captaincy cop-out
A committee of players chose unpopular midfielder Granit Xhaka, a player many Arsenal fans do not want to see in their team, let alone as captain.
At West Ham there are no such debates. There is only one man for that role, Mark Noble.
And the Hammers leader has hit out at Gunners boss Unai Emery for shirking his responsibilities (Evening Standard).
‘It’s the manager’s job’
“I was surprised to learn the other day that the Arsenal players had been given a role in choosing their captain,” Noble told The Evening Standard.
“Granit Xhaka got the nod, but it’s not for me. It’s the manager’s job to pick who he believes will best lead the team.
“If I was a manager, I would want my captain to deal with a lot of stuff before it gets to my door. He has enough on his plate without having to deal with petty stuff which can be sorted in the changing room.”
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