Kieron Dyer has reacted angrily to suggestions that he has been a colossal waste of money at West Ham and should consider retirement.
The injury-plagued midfielder sought to defend his reputation after being singled out as an example of the "ill-judged" investments which landed the club in grave financial trouble.
Dyer has been restricted to just seven starts for West Ham in two-and-a-half years, having suffered a broken leg shortly after his £6million move from Newcastle and constant hamstring problems.
West Ham's annual accounts, published last week, stated the signings of Dyer and Freddie Ljungberg in the summer of 2007 had cost the club more than £1million a match.
Last month, joint-chairman David Gold was quoted as saying West Ham have a player earning £60-70,000 a week "who hardly plays at all who might have to accept retirement" - comments widely interpreted as being aimed at Dyer.
But the 31-year-old former England international has hit back at his critics.
Dyer said: "If you buy a football club and you are the owners, you say what you want. They are entitled to their opinions.
"Everyone has forgotten that I probably had a worse leg break than Aaron Ramsay and have had four operations to try to get it right.
"I have put in everything I can to get fit for this club but it is not enough for some people.
"All I can do is get my head down. I have the backing of the manager and hopefully I can get there."
Dyer seemed to have the backing of West Ham's fans too, judging by their reaction when he came on in Saturday's defeat to Bolton.
"That is good to hear," he said. "Hopefully I can change some other people's minds."
Gold and joint-chairman David Sullivan were shocked to discover the scale of the financial mismanagement which existed at West Ham under the previous regime.
The club took the unusual step of publishing their accounts last week and in them were detailed examples of where the money had gone.
Nigel Quashie and Calum Davenport cost the club a total of £12million after joining in January 2007.
Dyer and Ljungberg, who the club bought out of his contract in the summer, set West Ham back a total of £34million.
In the financial review of the club's accounts, finance director Nick Igoe wrote: "It has to be concluded that many of the group's investment decisions in the last two to three seasons have been ill-judged.
"Two players who signed in the summer 2007 transfer window, one of whom has since left the club, have started a combined total of 32 games and will have cost the group £34 million over the term of their contracts.
"No football club can sustain this level of expenditure on underperforming members of its squad."
Dyer made a swift impact after coming off the bench as West Ham chased the game on Saturday but Bolton took all the points they deserved.
Owen Coyle's men moved above West Ham in the table after a sixth consecutive victory against the Hammers and their third this season.
Kevin Davies put Bolton ahead with a powerful header after nine minutes and was magnificent all afternoon, with West Ham unable to cope with his physical presence up front.
On-loan midfielder Jack Wilshere, 18, became the youngest player to score in the Premier League this season when he bagged the second after Davies had robbed James Tomkins of posession.
Bolton finished with 10 men after Tamir Cohen was sent off for two yellow cards and West Ham mounted a late assault, with Alessandro Diamanti curling in an 88th-minute consolation strike for the Hammers.
Dyer continued: "We were poor and deserved to lose. Even though I came on for 45 minutes it was a very disappointing day.
"We usually start like a house on fire, get out of the traps and get in people's faces.
"All credit to Bolton, we expected them to sit off and let us have posession of ther ball and hit us on the break but they came straight for us. They were excellent."
West Ham now face back-to-back away trips to Chelsea and Arsenal but Dyer has not given up on manager Gianfranco Zola masterminding a late turnaround.
He said: "I still don't think that the next two games have a beraing on wether we stay in the league or not.
"I still believe that is is our home games and possibly Fulham away. If we do well there we will stay in this league."
