Mark Noble believes he would be better suited to a director of football role than the dugout at West Ham once he finally hangs up his boots.
The 33-year-old has been a West Ham player for 20 years, since joining the east London club’s academy at the turn of the millennium. He has clocked up nearly 500 appearances and 60 goals for the Hammers since progressing to the first-team in 2004.
Noble’s contract at West Ham runs until next summer, and the Irons are not expected to renew it when it does expire. By that time, the one-club man will be 34 and may feel the time is right to bring his career to an end after so many years at the top level.
Speaking on Sky's ‘Redknapp’s Home Fixture', Noble told Harry and Jamie Redknapp that he thinks management would involve added pressures that a directing role wouldn’t.
He said: “Do you know what, I have two thoughts with the management of West Ham thing.
“Because I’ve been at the club since I was 11 years of age and I love the club so much, I’d like to be in a position, whether it’s the manager or sitting above the manager but underneath the owners, where I can affect real decisions at the club and the players we sign and bigger decisions."
Noble revealed he would be concerned about how precarious the managerial role is and worries his reputation at the club could be tainted after so many years of hard graft.
He continued: “In management in three or four games you can go from being Mark Noble who’s played for West Ham for years, and all of a sudden everyone wants you to get the sack.
“Obviously I felt that when Slaven [Bilić] was the manager of West Ham. We had such a good relationship but there were times I spoke to him when the fans were on him and the results weren’t going well. He actually looked devastated that he was in the position he was in.”
Source : 90min