West Ham Captain Mark Noble aim is for West Ham to finish in a strong top ten position in the Premier League.
Writing his first regular Friday London Standard column Nobes said: “My aim this season is for a really strong top-10 finish and a way of playing which excites. I think we were developing that towards the end of last season and if we can add something, with the money we’ve spent, we can stick together and have a great season.
We’ve signed a lot of players — very good players — this summer and so, naturally, the expectation level has risen. All I would say to the fans is, let the players settle in. The Premier League is a different beast.
I’ve talked to the boys who have come here from abroad, people like Angelo Ogbonna and Pedro Obiang, and they will say it is so different from what they’ve experienced before: the pace, the power.
They told me that in Italy, where they both played, they felt they could play three games straight off because physically it was less demanding. There’s no chance of that in the Premier League where, after a game, you can’t walk for two days!
I’ve tried my hand at Google Translate with some of the new boys and they all have my number. If they have any problems, they can ring me at any time. Felipe Anderson, for example, has a similar breed of dog to mine and he keeps texting me pictures of it!
As team captain, I try to help the new players as much as I can. Sometimes it can take a while to settle in. Maybe you’re looking for a school for the kids, you’re trying to find somewhere to live and your partner is stressed.
They’re little things but part of my job — and that of the player-care staff at the club — is to make that transition is as smooth as possible”