"Last year, we had a tough year but this season we have excelled during the opening part of the season."
After suffering the disappointment of relegation in 2011, helping the Hammers to promotion in 2012 and to re-establish themselves in the Barclays Premier League over the past two-and-a-half seasons, West Ham's third longest-serving player - after Mark Noble and James Tomkins - is enjoying the current campaign.
"It's been a less stressful year this year, I guess, in terms of some of the other years we've had!" he confirmed. "It's been good. You learn a lot from the other seasons and it makes you appreciate when things do go well.
"It also makes you work a little bit harder individually and as a team as well to make sure the good times continue."