Since making his senior debut in 2004, Mark Noble has gone on to establish himself as a key member of the West Ham United starting XI. The battling midfielder has started every Premier League match for the Hammers this season and is, without question, a firm fan favourite of the east London side.
With a WhoScored rating of 7.23, a figure bettered only by James Tomkins (7.26) of every West Ham player, it's undeniable that Noble is once again impressing this term in a side currently on a fantastic run of form.
Ahead of the Hammers' trip to Stoke, WhoScored.com were granted the opportunity to speak to Noble about West Ham, stats and his aspirations for the next few years.
You've played under the likes of Alan Pardew, Alan Curbishley and now Sam Allardyce at West Ham since making your senior debut in 2004. How has the approach of each manager differed at Upton Park?
Massively, really. Obviously I played under Pards (Alan Pardew) when he first brought me into the team as a kid and he gave me the platform to go on. He then got sacked and Alan Curbishley came in. Obviously we had that season - “The Great Escape” as they called it - when we won 7 out of 9 games and it was massive to stay in the Premier League that year, to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford and in between Curbishley and Sam Allardyce, I've had Avram Grant and Gianfranco Zola, who were good in their own ways.
I really enjoyed playing under Franco. The team played really well under him. He was a lovely person to play for and then the gaffer [Allardyce] came in and got a hold of the club in a way that everyone knows he's the boss. I think that you can see over the last 2-and-a-half to 3 years - we got promoted and it's become a firm club, a stable club, and that's what it needed.
West Ham's recent form has propelled the club into the top half of the table, but what are the aspirations for the club between now and the end of the season?
10th. 10th or above. We've had that goal from the beginning of the season and after winning 4 in a row and the draw against Chelsea, it put us back in that position and that is what we were aiming for. That's still our aim now and we're going to do everything to get that.
What are the aims for next season?
Probably the same again. To try and improve our performances and improve in league position, but I think 10th or above is a good season for West Ham.
What are your aspirations on a personal level for the next few years of your career?
To improve. To keep improving. This has probably been my best season, personally, and, as I say, get better. Obviously, the main aim is to get into the England team, or into the squad, and that will be my main aim, I reckon.
With the increase in statistical data to measure performance, do you consider stats to be a key aspect of the modern game? How do you find they are best used?
I do believe in stats, but there are plenty of times in the past when teams have had the ball 70% of the time and still lost the game, or they've had 100 crosses and the other team go down the other end and score, so they're not always right, but they're consistent and if you stick to them, you'll get success. The manager has brought that here and it's proved that stats do work.
Your statistically calculated strengths on WhoScored include 'key passes', 'tackling' and 'taking set-pieces'. Do you consider these to be the strongest aspects of your game?
Yeah, probably passing and tackling, to be honest. They're attributes you have to have to play in centre midfield in the Premier League. You don't play there if you can't do both of them. Tackling and getting on the ball and passing is something that I really enjoy and I want to get better at both.
Are there any aspects of your game that you'd particularly like to improve on?
As I said, just everything really. Keep improving as a whole, mentally and physically, and if you can do that, there's no doubt you'll become a better player. You can't rest on what you've got, you've got to keep improving and working hard and I'll be doing that over the next few years.
Of every outfielder, only Chico (666) has played more forward passes in the Premier League than you (591) this season. Do you feel your role has developed as you've matured as a player?
Definitely, 100%. Actually, I showed that one to the manager the other day and he was over the moon with it! As long as those forward passes are to our player, are starting the team off on a roll and getting us moving, that's what I want to do and I've played under the manager for the last two-and-a-half years and that's what he wants me to do, so obviously it's working and I'll keep on doing that.
West Ham's WhoScored rating this campaign is 6.82, the 10th best in England's top tier. Do you think this is a fair reflection of the Hammers' season so far?
Well I think so, because we're 10th aren't we? It makes sense, but there's been a lot of games this year that we've ended up losing or drawing that we should have won, but we haven't and I think it could have been higher. We're joint-top of the league in clean sheets, so I think it could have been higher, but that's the way the season's gone for us, so if we can finish firmly, we can push on for next season.
Having come through the ranks at West Ham, how will it feel when the team moves from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium?
It will be a massive move for the club. I think it was a move that needed to be done. As long as the board, the chairman and everyone invests in the club and buys good players, strong players, that are going to improve the team and as long as we keep pushing forward, the Olympic Stadium will be a massive boost for everyone.
Who is the best player you've played with and who is the best player you've played against?
The best player I've played against...there's a couple really. When I first broke into the team at 17, I played against Tugay for Blackburn and he was fantastic. I'll never forget that game. Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard are two that stand out and, if I'm honest, Frank Lampard - he always seems to score against us.
Played with...it would have to be Carlos Tévez. That season when I broke into the team, he came in at the same time as me and obviously we went on that fantastic run together and I think he set up all 5 of my goals that season. At one point he was asking for some bonus money because he set all my goals up, but I'm sure he's got enough now.
West Ham look for Supporter of the Season - Club want to reward Hammers fans for their passionate support, for more details go to www.whufc.com
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