Allardyce questions Nolan’s role as West Ham captain

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has laid the blame of West Ham’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham, firmly at the door of club captain Kevin Nolan.

Nolan lost his temper and kicked out at Fulham’s Fernando Amorebieta, making it his second red card in less than a month after the 31-year-old was sent off for a lunge on Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson.

After Nolan’s latest misdemeanor, Sam Allardyce has admitted he will evaluate the captaincy situation and whether the man he had with him at Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers, is still up to the job.

“I just don’t quite understand where he’s lost his cool and why its happened?” said Allardyce, who saw his side squander an early lead.

“I know the centre-half fouled him, and I also know that [referee] Mark Clattenburg didn’t give a free kick and he should have done.

“But it’s still not an excuse for what Kevin did, and he ends up getting himself sent off.”

But Allardyce felt his side should have capitalised on their early advantage, and Nolan was again to blame.

“He was involved in a real key moment that was looking good for us in terms of the header on the far post that would have sent us two-nil up,” he added.

“After a great start we looked like we could get another one, and go on and test this back four of Fulham’s.

“But when you have a man sent off it gets very difficult indeed.

“So he’s responsible for us probably losing the game more than anything else, there’s no doubt about that.

“I don’t understand it because this indiscretion comes straight after what happened at Liverpool.

“So I’m going to have to find out what’s wrong with him, there’s something wrong with his mentality at the minute.

“Because at his age and his experience, he’s a player I’ve known for many years, I haven’t seen this type of reaction or this type of situation that he’s put himself into.

“The responsibility of the player is to play the game to the best he possibly can, and to go out and be disciplined, apply his talents in the correct manner within the laws of the game – not to lose your head, and not to do anything silly.

“And you can expect it from somebody starting out occasionally, a youngster finding his way in the game, finding out about the nitty-gritty of the Premier League.

“The pulls, the pinches, whatever they might be: but not Kevin.”

“I don’t know yet,” said Allardyce on Nolan’s captaincy situation. “I’m disappointed enough with what he’s done and time will tell.

“I’ll deal with the situation internally as we always do, and my focus will now be the players who are available, not Kevin Nolan who is not available.