Noble: New deal has had effect

West Ham midfielder Mark Noble reckons a settled future is the reason for his recent good form.

The 25-year-old Hammers hero recently signed a long-term deal with the club he joined as a trainee in the summer of 2003. Noble has been ever-present in this season's Premier League and turned in arguably his best performance at QPR a week after his contract issues were resolved.

He told the club website: "I think I would put my form down to hard work and believing in myself. "I have also signed a new contract which has allowed me to get my head down and focus on playing football."

Victory at Loftus Road was followed by a home defeat to Arsenal, but Noble took plenty of encouragement even from that game. He said: "At the end of the day, we still played well and we are still on a good run. We have 11 points - a good total for where we are in the season."