Kevin Nolan is out for up to two months with a broken toe, and it’s brought on mixed feelings for fans of West Ham. Some were gutted that our captain would be out of action, while others rejoiced and felt that it was a blessing in disguise.
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But will we miss our skipper? I’m just not sure we will. We triumphed away at Stoke last weekend without him, and if you consider our recent run of away form that’s no mean feat. Considering that that wasn’t just without Nolan; it was without Mark Noble as well. With Matty Taylor and Joe Cole going off within the first 11 minutes we still had the strength in our midfield to bring on Jack Collison and Ricardo Vaz Te and take all three points back to East London.
If it was Winston Reid – who I feel has been massively solid for us so far this season – who had the injury, I would be more worried. The fact that we seem to have quite the midfield selection to choose from, and it was those second choice players who effectively sealed the win for us last weekend, means that I’m not concerned.
There was also the feeling that Sam Allardyce would never drop Nolan despite some poor performances, and so this could give some of the fringe players a chance to show Big Sam what they’re made of. I think Jack Collison deserves a run in the first team, and I really feel he has the skills to ensure that we don’t end up looking back on Nolan’s injury as the catalyst that tarnished our season.
What do you think – will we miss Nolan? Or will we show that we can do just as well without him? As always, leave a comment or tweet me at @alwaysintune.
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We will be much better ( already are ) without Noble,Tomkins and Nolan . Long may there injuries last .
Noble and Tomkins are both good players. You know nothing. Nolan on the other hand is feckin awful
noble and tomkins are awful. you know nothing. nolan will be missed
ha ha Nolan missed…USELESS !!!!
Our midfield is much quicker without him. Get Noble fit to push Taylor out, he is useless.
Totally agree Taylor is useless and shouldn’t feature in our squad for the rest of the season and ready to sell him
Noble gives 100% every time,he’s west ham’s mr dependable.
you can depend on him to give you no quality.but hay at least he is 100% shit
Dont even mention Noble and Nolan in the same sentence. Nolan is a total waste of a place.
Noble is West Ham through and through but it dosen’t mean he is good enough . 11 goals conceded this season are a direct result of Tomkins lack of positional sense, speed or basic understanding of how to defend . Probably the worst defender we have ever had . Nolan and Taylor are rubbish but who else have we got . Poor squad players ..no depth .
why dont we put joe cole there when he gets back from injury he was so much better spraying passes around in the middle of the park untill then put collison in
Nolan is in effect taking up Joe Coles best position, linking midfield and forward(s) and looking to play the forward in with some clever balls. Joe hasnt got the legs he once had so get him tucked in around Carroll/Cole/Chamkh/Paulista and in those danger areas where he can work his magic. Not rocket science, but this is Allardyce we are talking about………
jo cole has no magic to work. chelsea and liverpool did not see him fit to play in fact coles proven position is on the bench as that where he has spent most of his time for the last 10 years doing nothing
And youre the bloke who rates Nolan…do you actually watch the matches ???????????? Cole has more ability in his shinpads, even past his best, that that useless lazy passenger Nolan.
With Nolan out of the easy Taylor should be “accidently” injured also. Then we are set to climb the table.
Easy to read way
Tomkins is our second best defender behind winston and noble is our best passer
How many goals have come from Nolan walking back and Collins either playing them in or putting it in himself
Nolan walking around and goal hanging like some kid in the school playground, leaving us with in effect ten men for so many games has been a huge part of the problem Dan.
Sorry Dan but you havent got a clue . Tomkins is terrible . Collins might not be great but he is head and shoulders better than Tomkins . Mind you there are boys playing on the Marshes that are . Nobles inability to make a telling pass is the main reason we have scored so few goals . He is slow and ponderous and gives the ball away all of the time . Nolan is rubbish and on that we all agree. We need a cionstructive mid fielder ….. there isnt one in the club .