Mark Noble has claimed West Ham’s pre-season has been a successful one, albeit intensive, as the longstanding captain gave his thoughts to the club’s official website.
As the Hammers skipper looks upon his 15th pre-season with the club, Noble has raved about the professional attitude being instilled in the squad by Manuel Pellegrini and his back-room staff, helping to spread a positive feeling throughout the entire team.
After six matches and an intensive travelling schedule, Noble claimed that everyone involved has approached the new methods in the right manner, but now it is up to the players to take what they have learnt into the game against Liverpool on August 12.
“Do you know what? It’s actually been really enjoyable!” Noble said. “I’ve enjoyed the training sessions, I’ve enjoyed the games and, even though we’ve been away for nearly three weeks in total, it’s been enjoyable around the hotel and we’ve had a laugh.
“But, as everybody knows, the only thing that makes seasons enjoyable are wins. We’ve been dealt a tough blow with obviously losing Manu and then getting Liverpool away in the first game of the season, because you just hope for a home game with all your fans behind you and to go out there and get the three points.
"There's a really positive vibe"
“We’ll just have to do it the hard way at Liverpool. There is a really positive vibe around the training ground and hopefully we can take that into the game.”
With the club looking to move forward in a positive direction after a difficult year last season, the good feeling surrounding the club is a welcome change, with Noble attributing much of this to the staff behind the scenes.
“The organisation of pre-season has been outstanding and that’s not just come from the manager and his staff, but also from a lot of staff members who have been brought in to make things run smoothly.” Noble continued.
“We are doing things professionally and properly and the small things can make a big difference.”