---
title: "Michael Brown hails West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek"
canonical: "https://readwestham.com/2020/12/15/michael-brown-hails-west-ham-midfielder-tomas-soucek/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dan Clubbe"
section: "West Ham News"
published: "2020-12-15T12:00:00Z"
modified: "2020-12-15T12:00:00Z"
---

# Michael Brown hails West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek

Former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown has heaped praise on West Ham’s [Tomas Soucek](https://readwestham.com/2020/12/07/readwestham-com-2020-12-07-tomas-soucek-west-ham-confidence/).

In an interview with [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/exclusive-pundit-in-awe-of-west-ham-25-year-old-with-incredible-stats/), the ex-Manchester City player revealed his admiration for the Irons midfield partnership formed by Czech Republic international Soucek and [Declan Rice](https://readwestham.com/2020/12/14/peter-crouch-praise-west-ham-rice-benrahma-cresswell-antonio/).

He said: “It’s so important for them two (Soucek and Rice) to stay in that West Ham formation, stay where they are, allow the full-backs to get forward and they changed to a back four on Friday night which was something different.”

The 43-year-old, who played [194 times in the Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/players/918/Michael-Brown/stats), singled out Soucek for specific praise, saying: “I think he’s a different type of midfielder. We’ve seen him get forward at select opportunities rather than always direct on the diagonals.”

The central midfield duo have [played every Premier League minute](https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/mins_played) together for the Hammers this season and have become a strong partnership for David Moyes’ side.

### READ WEST HAM VERDICT

Soucek is perhaps a [more complete midfielder](https://www.whoscored.com/PlayerComparison) than Rice, given his [knack of chipping in with goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tomas-soucek/leistungsdaten/spieler/283628). At 25, the Czech is four years Rice’s elder, so the Englishman has time to grow into a midfielder who [contributes more often](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/declan-rice/leistungsdaten/spieler/357662) on the scoreheet.

It’s little wonder with this formidable duo occupying the two central midfield slots that club captain [Mark Noble can’t get a look-in](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/mark-noble/leistungsdaten/spieler/31835).