Mark Noble has been one of the players of the season, leading West Ham United to fifth in the Premier League and to an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United tomorrow. Noble is also one of the more grounded professionals, so driven to do well that he admits to nerves before training, and hugely aware of his fortune to pursue the profession he loves.
“I was at a cousin’s wedding a few months ago and all four of the brothers were in the Army,” says Noble, perched on a bench in the physio’s room at Chadwell Heath yesterday afternoon, his feet taped, his left eye still bruised after an accidental encounter with the boot of Everton’s Kevin Mirallas. “One of my cousins has done four