He insists he is putting aside personal feelings of getting back into the side in these final weeks of his Premiership career for the greater goal of keeping West Ham afloat.
Nigel, recovered from a wrist operation, knows he has a mountain of a task trying to dislodge Rufus Brevett from the side, and, explaining his situation, he says: "I am pleased to have got the operation done. I carried on for a little while but the surgeon advised that it needed to be done straight away really.
"That is all starting to heal now and I am getting back to fitness and contention for the first team squad.
"I went a month without kicking a ball and it is always frustrating to miss any game, but the one thing I am delighted about is that the lads have got some fantastic results and that has given everyone a big lift.
"My problem is only a little problem and out of that I would rather look at the bigger picture, which is picking up seven points in the last three games.
"That is more important than what is happening to myself. Whether I am playing or not playing, getting back into the team or not between now and the end of the season, for me it is more important that West Ham stay in the Premier League.
"I think this probably will be my last season in the Premier League and I don't want it to finish on a down side.
"Those results have given us a big lift and I hope they can help us push on and stay up.
"Obviously I want to play but the way things are going at the moment I don't expect to get back in the team.
"But that is not really relevant to me at this moment in time; it is more about picking up some more points and getting out of the bottom three.
"Hopefully, come the last couple of games, we are not still in trouble and I might get a couple of games before I retire.
"But it is going to be very close as we have been playing catch-up for a long time."
Recent results, without Nigel, have he readily admits, been a huge fillip, and he adds: "You only have to look back to a few weeks ago when Bolton played Manchester United before our game - with about 10 minutes to go we were looking at being about eight points behind them.
"They went on to draw that game and we have had a couple of wins, so I think that has given everyone a big lift.
"When we got level on points with them it was a big psychological boost but we have to keep picking up points in every game.
"They beat Sunderland, you have to accept that, and we have to close the gap again, but if we can keep putting in the home performances, especially playing like the one against Spurs, we have a chance.
"It is all about confidence. The West Brom game was a big win and although a lot of people say we could have lost it, at the end of the day we didn't.
"Little things like that gives you belief; it takes a long time to build up confidence when you have been on a bad run but it doesn't take long to shatter it.
"Everyone is in it together. We are all part of the squad and players become injured, ill, or lose their form.
"We have all got our part to play and although everyone wants to be in the first team, unfortunately there are only 11 who can start, five subs, and four or five others who are not even in the squad.
"For those players it does become very frustrating but I think most people would say at this moment in time 'let's just make sure we are not relegated'.
"Then everyone can look forward to next season, whether it is still at West Ham or somewhere else - because I think it is a fact that the same players are not going to be at the club next season.
"There are a few contracts up so there will be changes but I would say everyone wants the same result, which is for us to still be in the Premier League."