One of the best weekends for a long while as Hammers supporters celebrated pulling four points clear at the top of the Championship after a hard fought 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Millwall at Upton Park. The bad tempered game was made even tougher for the home side when captain Kevin Nolan was sent off for a stupid two footed lunge after only nine minutes, leaving his team mates a player down for the majority of the game.
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The selfish tackle was only going to have one outcome and the summer addition from Newcastle United will now miss three games for Sam Allardyce’s side. However, that could be a blessing in disguise for West Ham whose captain has been extremely average since his big money move and has failed to make much of an impression on the Upton Park faithful.
His lack of effort and quality has not gone unnoticed in certain areas of the Boleyn and although he seems to pop up with the odd crucial goal, his overall game is not as expected from what we saw of him in the past few years at St James Park.
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After Mathew Upson and Scott Parker departed East London in the summer, Nolan was immediately given the role of skipper ahead of more deserving candidates. The likes of Mark Noble, James Tomkins and Rob Green have been good servants of West Ham and are showing the passion and quality required to lead their club. So should Allardyce give someone else the armband?
An irrelevant question as it will never happen, but the fact that Nolan is now banned for at least three games Noble is expected to deputise the role and his leadership skills will be put to the test starting at Peterborough on Saturday. I personally can’t wait to see how the team cope without Nolan, but they didn’t seem to miss him on Saturday and three wins from three while he is away is surely reason enough to drop him?
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‘Selfish tackle’? The ‘odd crucial goal’?? Are you being serious, or did you just write this to get web hits?
The tackle was probably a red, but didn’t look malicious IMO. He put in a tackle to win the ball, not for ‘selfish’ reasons. What did he get out of it, apart from a ban?
The odd crucial goal comment is hilarious. We’d not be top if it wasn’t for Nolan’s goals, taken when our strikers couldn’t hit the proverbial cow’s butt with a banjo.
Hopefully we’ll manage to get results during his absence, but it’s foolish to disregard his contribution. As a captain he’s helped solidify the team under Allardyce. He might not be the quickest, but don’t discount his contribution. Noble was awesome on Saturday and I’m hoping that he can continue that away at London Road. He’d be my top candidate for the arm band. Also hoping that Cole and Faubert can maintain that standard of performance, cos if so we should go up as champions.
john j have you even been to upton park this season? granted that kevin nolanhas scored a few goals but by and large he has been a bag of shit, the man dont touch the ball all he does is moan to the ref and foul goal keepers and by the way that was a blatent red card on saturday lets have it right
Only an idiot can’t see the value that Kevin Nolan has brought to West Ham, reading this ‘blog’ one can only assume your idiotic view of Nolan comes from the brief highlights Manish brings to air on a saturday night
Lack of effort and quality?
leave off he may not of been paying well at time but to suggest he’s either not trying or not good enough is laughable.
If he was taking our penalties as he did at Newcastle he’d be on about 14 goals already this season
also oworth pointing out that previously thuis season Kevin Nolan has missed two matches
We lost both
I agree with the previous comments. Personally i’d rather have him than Parker in the side because he’s a match winner. And even when he is not in the best form he still brings leadership, a will to win and a knack for scoring crucial goals. Here’s a thought…Perhaps if people showed the kind of support they show for the likes of Parker who was allowed to have a shit game we would see a lot more from him? Even the support shown for Pantsil would be a start
A very poor article, whilst he has not won over all of the support it’s undeniable that there’s a positive impact on the team when Nolan at the helm. His play style is tireless like that of Tevez, Noble and at time Zamora – but that’s down to style and energy conservation for those bursts forward. I think the problem is largely that we haven’t had such a central midfielder at the club for many years, where they often sit behind the forwards, distribute the ball and make runs into the box when necessary. His goals alone warrant praise, without having to mention the facts of his role as both captain and attacking centre mid. Once up on a time our club was renowned for having fans that were relatively knowledgeable, along with most of todays society those standards seem to be somewhat declining.
isn’t tireless*
Article is spot on. Count how many times he touches the ball. Its a bit like watching me trying to play football, so much I want to do but my legs can’t get me there so I end up watch the ball pass me by. Seen every home game and most away by the way. In bed after cocoa or still travelling home when the laughable FL Show on BBC. Not worth recording.
Noland is a great organizer and communicator on the pitch the same as Lucas Neill was and a lot of WHU fans did not rate him, Then when he went we struggled to replace him with a prober captain.
Noland puts the work rate in and has chipped in with some very important goal.
As the main target is to get back in the premier league do you think we should be getting behind the team and not writing rubbish and trying to derail the team.
I totally agree with the article,I am not a fan of Nolan He has Not won Me over,I have supported hammers for longer than I can remember,season ticket holder,I can honestly say that he is Not a 90 min player,and definately NOT captain material at West Ham,to hot headed and to agressive off the ball,I think he thought he was in for an easy ride when he joined,we want commitment for 90 mins.He will Not be missed in the next three games.You have all been told.
Well said Les. Perhaps if he didnt “talk and organise(delegate his workload)”-sorry Ed, so much he might have enough energy to win some of us over.
Listen not one for posting , but this is a very poor article Kevin Nolan is a great leader , strong personality ,and more importantly has the ability to command respect,stop picking faults and let him carry on leading the team back to to prem.
First time I’ve commented on here. I have to say that I haven’t had the opportunity to get to U.P. this season so I reserve judgement on Kevin Nolan, except to say I was very excited when we signed him and he has got 7 goals this season, apparently without playing well. My real reason for commenting is this. Les the hammer. “not captain material. Too hot headed and too aggressive off the ball.” I have two words for you my friend….. DICKSY….LEGEND!!!!!
lES
IF WE DON’T MISS HIM WHEN HE NOT THERE HOW COMES WE HAVE A 100% LOSING RECORD WHEN HE HASN’T PLAYED?
Excellent critique of Nolan. he has been desperately disappointing this season, a world away from the player he was at previous clubs. take a close look next time he plays…always chasing but never actually doing anything positive or useful. He came thinking it was going to be an easy ride and hes been found out. take your rose tinted specs off just because he wears the Claret & Blue and see whats REALLY going on. Anyone with an ounce of football knowledge can see it, except of course the man who bought him to the club and wouldnt drop him even if he lost a leg !!!
luv him, or hate him, bit like marmite. but we 3 games without him. someone will need to step up-would be great to win the next 3 games,that would put pressure on chasing pack. coyi
I have to agree he has been poor for us this season. Yes he can hit a sweet shot, he does still posses the technique however Newcastle sensed that he was a player on the decline and ditched him. I hope I’m proved wrong and he comes back bossing the midfield like he was signed for. I’m personally hoping that now he’s out we can utilise one of our goal poachers in baldock or nicky maynard alongside cole in a 442 rather than 451 formation BS loves.
With Carlton Cole at last showing us what he is capable off, and looking like a player, Sam MUST start playing Maynard or Baldock off of him and giving us a cutting edge we have sadly lacked. The enforced absence of Nolan gives us a chance to take a look at other options in terms of both personnel and tactically. The way Vaz Te tore our defence to ribbons on several occasions when Barnsley played here recently suggests he can give as some pace and guile in the final third, the one place we have looked so average in so many games, where loads of ball retention and possession so often counted for nothing because we lacked the type of creative player who could make things happen. How many times have we gone one up but failed to get a cushion of 2 or 3 to make the game safe. Teams that have this ability to create a safety mmargin can then play without fear. Fear of losing a late or flukey goal. We now have the attacking force we have so desperately craved all season so Sam…GO FOR IT…Its West Ham your managing, not Blackburn or Bolton !!