6 years ago to this day, West Ham signed Kevin Nolan – later to be known more affectionately as ‘Nobby’ by the Hammers fans – from Newcastle United for a fee of £2.9 million.
Nolan had spent three seasons with the Magpies, two in the Premier League and one in the Championship, proving himself as an efficient box-to-box midfielder with an acute for for goal. The Englishman averaged a just under goal every three games for the Toon, scoring 30 goals in 91 appearances.
And that form continued after his switch to the colour of Claret and Blue.
Nobby’s first season as an Iron saw him once again in the Championship, however it didn’t take long for him to make it back to England’s top flight as he captained the Hammers in their famous play-off final victory over Blackpool at the end of the 2011/2012 campaign.
In the seasons that followed promotion, Nolan became an integral part of the Hammers squad, leading his (until Sam Alardyce controversially stripped him of his captaincy in early 2014) squad to 10th, 13th, 12th and finally 7th placed finishes in the Premier League. While he may not have been quite as prolific as his days at Newcastle, Nolan still managed a decent return of 31 goals in 152 caps.
Having left the club early into the 2015/16 season, the unfortunately uncapped England international – the most capped ever Englishman in the top flight without one – is now the current player/manager for Notts County in League Two.
No matter where you go though Nobby, you’ll always be a Hammer! He here is scoring a cracker followed by his trademark chicken celebration …
