5 Things Learned From West Ham's Win Over Birkirkara FC

This central midfield partnership was arguably the main disappointment to take away from this fixture. Mark Noble is given far too easy a ride by West Ham fans for being a local lad and Kevin Nolan is given far too harsh a ride because he's an Allardyce favourite. The club captain has been a fantastic servant since the post Avram Grant doldrums, but it's clear to see that he's not the player he once was. It's still no excuse for the baffling abuse that he takes quite admirably on the chin. Out of the midfield duo, he was the better performer on the night but it was obvious to see the plethora of shortcomings.

Neither of the players move the ball quick enough, Mark Noble is especially guilty of this crime, allowing opposition players to re-organise and reposition themselves before making an all too predictable pass. Bilic had clearly instructed his players to work the ball from side to side to tire the Birkirkara players out, but it was done in such a lethargic fashion that with all their men behind the ball it was all too easy for them to sit in two banks, shuffle across when the ball was moved and deny West Ham space to move into. For this tactic to work the ball needs to move quickly from touchline hugging winger to the other touchline hugging winger, the combination of Nolan & Noble prevented this from happening.

Nolan's days are clearly numbered and it appears as though he'll run down the last year of his contract, for Noble though, Cheikh Kouyate and Pedro Obiang are both in front of him in the pecking order (as well as Alex Song once his contract/injury is sorted) should Bilic play his favoured 4-2-3-1 and he's no longer guaranteed a starting spot.