Kevin Nolan's summer switch, the one that saw him leave a Premier League club in Newcastle to reunite with his mentor at West Ham, raised quite a few eyebrows.
As captain of the St. James' Park brigade, his decision to drop down a division was strange. Why does a 28 year-old midfielder, playing some of the best football of his career, decide to join the newly relegated West Ham?Well, the need for financial security is an obvious reason. According to reports, Nolan was not offered a new long term deal by the Toon, even though he had just finished the season with 12 goals to his name. A massive blow for a professional footballer's ego, no doubt.
Another usual suspect is Nolan's relationship with Sam Allardyce, the manager who gave Kevin his first real chance in football back in 2000. Big Sam's vision and reputation were enough to secure Nolan's services, a move that proved popular within the Boleyn Ground. His purchase was a clear sign of intent: we plan to get back up to the Premier League, and are willing to pay a premium (a reported £50k-a-week wage on top of an undisclosed fee, thought to be around the £3million mark) to get Premier League class players in order to do so.
Allardyce immediately gave Nolan the captain's armband, calling him a natural leader and a positive influence. When trying to analyse his all-round game, his leadership skills should not to be overlooked. Coming off the back of a very bad season, with an absent manager and team captain, Nolan's combative, no-nonsense and never-say-die attitude were like a breath of fresh air. Always first to stick up for a team mate and never shy of letting the referee know what's on his mind, the players and fans seem to have rallied around him.
Just look at Andy Carroll, who needed an arm around his shoulder to get his head in the game when playing for Newcastle. Nolan was there to get the young striker playing the best football of his career, as he was for Joey Barton who had recieved a world of stick. The former is currently struggling to hold down a place at Liverpool, while the latter moved to London based Q.P.R after publicly criticising Newcastle's decision to let their captain go. Nolan seems to be relishing the responsibility and is 'a manager on the pitch', according to his actual manager. A rarity in the modern game and a throw back to the good old days.
However, putting his mental strength aside, what does Nolan actually contribute from a footballing point of view?
Not a lot, according to quite a few West Ham fans. Described as unfit, immobile and a limited footballer, it is quite clear that Nolan is yet to win the hearts of the entire West Ham support. Questions have been raised as to how a well-paid footballer is not yet at the top of his fitness, seven games into the season. His work rate is suspect, and there are times where the game looks to be passing him by.
Mind you, there are some positives to Nolan's game. You don't get to be a Premier League player for so long without possessing some sort of talent. His heading ability and positioning at set pieces are very good, as is his passing.
Looking at the money invested in him, Nolan is quite clearly going to be a permanent fixture within the starting line-up. This means that in order to accomadate him, Allardyce is going to continue playing him in the hole, as Nolan's tackling and pace aren't good enough allow him to play in defensive midfield, and also rule him out for the box-to-box position. Thus, we are forced to play with one up-front, making Carlton Cole's knock-downs impossible to exploit. A very frustrating position to find ourselves in this early in the season.
At the end of the day, the question that needs to be asked is: is Nolan's influence irreplaceable?
If the answer is yes, and we have someone ready to step up to the plate, then we can afford to let him earn his place through hard work in training, possibly even losing some weight to bacome a leaner leader.
However, if Sam thinks he has no other vocal leaders within the squad, then Kevin Nolan has to be the first name on the team sheet. The Championship is a tough league to win promotion from, with clubs fighting tooth and nail for every point. It's players like Nolan who carry teams at tough away grounds, through organisation and referees' respect.
Whatever you may think of him, it does appear as though Nolan has Big Sam's faith. We can only hope he can win that of the entire West Ham support. Guide us to victory, Kev.
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