Pedro Obiang has heaped praise on his teammates as he reflects on his second season at West Ham in the latest issue of Blowing Bubbles Monthly.
The midfielder’s absence for the rest of the season was one of the most depressing issues in a horrific few weeks last month that saw us lose three games in a row.
But he has vowed to return a better player and reiterated his desire to be at the heart of West Ham’s progression in our new home.
Asked about why his form improved so much this season, he told Blowing Bubbles: "I think it’s because now I know the league, I know my teammates better. Last season I arrived after playing for eight years with the same club, the same people and I was with my family, so it was easy then.
“I came here for new dreams, a new team, a new stadium and everything was different. So the first impact wasn’t very big. But this season I know everything better, the people know me, my teammates give me space, and it’s because of that I think I’ve become a better player.”
Get your copy of Blowing Bubbles’ April issue
Blowing Bubbles also contains hard-hitting columns from Phil Parkes, George Parris and David James.
Parkes says captain Mark Noble’s days should be over at West Ham. "He’s never been the quickest across the ground but this season he’s got slower and the amount of sideways and backwards passing he’s involved in slows everything down.
“He has had a fabulous career and is a wonderful club man. We all have enormous respect for him but we all come to an end of our career and I believe Mark’s time has come.”
Meanwhile Parris believes injuries to both Obiang and Winston Reid will have a huge impact on West Ham’s results and form.
“I think they will be both be hugely missed in their own way and it’s a massive blow.They both bring something important to the team but we won’t truly know how much either will be missed until we get through a few games without them.”
David James has written a piece calling for men, women and children across the UK to dig out their football shirts and wear them loudly and proudly on Friday, April 28 to help fund life-saving research into bowel cancer.
Get your copy of Blowing Bubbles’ April issue