I still put my boots on so I can see if the boys are ready for the step up

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW MARK NOBLE

- Dan Kilpatrick

MARK NOBLE may have retired, but West Ham's former captain turned sporting director is not about to hang up his boots just yet.

Noble took up his new role on January 3, and has spent the first month in the job "learning the ropes", including immersing himself in the club's academy.

"I still put my boots on and train with the Under-18s and the U-21s, because you only know first-hand what they're like when you're training with them," Noble tells Standard Sport.

"It's great, because I get to see them first-hand, and I'm probably the best person in the world for them to ask questions about what it's like to break into the first team."

Noble admits he also needs to maintain his football fix, after 18 years as a professional with the Hammers, before calling it a day in the summer.

"You're bang on, of course," he says. "It's great for me, too, because I get to keep fit and play football.

"But if you're asking do I miss the pressure of playing in the Premier League, I don't really. I cared so much about how we got on, the anxiety of winning every week took over the joy of actually winning.

"Say we'd beaten Manchester United, for instance, you get in the dressing room and you're buzzing. But within 20 minutes, that buzz has worn off and you think, 'We've got to win next Saturday now"."

Noble made 550 appearances for his boyhood club, and his remarkable service to West Ham has been recognised by the London Football Awards. He is speaking after winning the gong for Outstanding Contribution to London Football, which he will receive at Camden's Roundhouse on March 13.