West Ham United skipper Mark Noble believes his team are in a good place as they resume the Barclays Premier League campaign with a trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Hammers sit sixth in the table following October’s international break, and with a five-game unbeaten run to protect, Noble is relishing the prospect of a London derby
The Eagles, under the management of former Hammers boss Alan Pardew, have enjoyed a superb start to the season themselves, so Saturday’s match promises to be a special affair.
Noble explained “To go five games unbeaten in the Premier League is a feat in itself and we’re looking forward to playing Palace on Saturday. It’s a massive game for us because they’re flying high. They’ve got some top players and we’ve got to go there and put in a performance.
“We’ve let in some silly goals but there have been a lot more positives than negatives in those last five games.
“You can see what Alan Pardew’s gone in there and done. He’s a top manager – he’s proved that at Newcastle and he’s doing a great job at Palace.”
Noble, who was handed the captain’s armband following Kevin Nolan’s departure in August, has two goals to his name this season and is enjoying the Hammers’ start to the campaign.
He continued: “I always enjoy my football, but football is obviously more enjoyable when you’re winning and you’re playing well.
“Every game is so tough in this league and that’s what people have to realise. You don’t just go to teams and roll them over. Every team has got very good players now because there’s so much money in the game.
“There’s still a lot of hard work to be done, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Since the Hammers’ last engagement at Sunderland two weeks ago, James Collins and Wales secured their berth at Euro 2016 and Noble was thrilled for his teammate.
He added: “For Ginge, it’s one of the biggest things in Welsh history that they’ve qualified for the Euros. When you look at their squad now they’ve got some really special players.
“It’s a great honour for Ginge and his family. He’s Welsh through and through, his family still lives there and his whole family must be proud of him
“But we have noticed that Ginge seems to be in every single photo that Gareth Bale is in. I don’t know whether it’s he likes having his photo taken or that they’re actually really good mates, I don’t know!”