Kevin Nolan famously captained both West Ham and Newcastle United
Kevin Nolan (L) celebrates with Andy Carroll during their time together at Newcastle
Kevin Nolan (L) celebrates with Andy Carroll during their time together at Newcastle
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When Newcastle play West Ham United on Sunday at the London Stadium, one former captain will have a foot in both camps.
Kevin Nolan played for Newcastle for two-and-a-half years between 2009 and 2011, captaining the side as they won promotion from the Championship.
He then scored 12 goals as the Magpies consolidated their place in the Premier League the following season and had been in talks about signing a new deal with the club.
But an ankle injury he picked up towards the end of that season saw former owner Mike Ashley and chief executive Derek Llambias take the deal off the table and Nolan ended up signing for West Ham.
But when he broached the subject with his wife, it did not go down well at all.
"I had been with her since I was 14," he told West Ham Fan TV. "My wife had moved with me from Liverpool to Newcastle. I just went, 'By the way, 'I've signed for Newcastle. I'll see you in a couple of days' and drove up to Newcastle.
"It took her three months to find a house up there. We found a house, got settled and we're in Dubai. I've now got a phone call saying, 'Will you come to West Ham?'
"I haven't even gone, 'What do you reckon about West Ham, love?' I've just said, 'Sound, yeah, I'm coming.'
"Then I've got off the phone and she's gone to me, 'What was that about?' I've gone, 'I'm just about to sign for West Ham'. She said, 'You're not!'
"Now me and her are having a full-blown argument in Dubai in front of Harps, his missus and our kids and my daughter's gone, 'Daddy, but I like it in Newcastle.' I'm going, 'Well, you're going to have to like it in London now.'"
Nolan reunited with his former Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce and the pair won promotion from the Championship together at Upton Park.
Kevin Nolan, left, at West Ham
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"I’d gone to West Ham as a marquee signing," Nolan told the EFL Unfiltered podcast. "Scott Parker was going over to Tottenham, so I’d gone in and took the captaincy off him. I was named as the club captain right away. I’d probably had my best season at Newcastle – 12 goals.
"I went and got a knock, and I was getting the knock I was supposed to be signing a new deal, and then they took the deal off. So that’s why it all transpired that I went to West Ham, because they took the deal off.
"I still had two and a half years left and I wanted to extend it for another two, but they took the deal away.
"Then I got a phone call, ‘would you like to go to West Ham? Sam’s going to be the new manager’ and I just said ‘yes’."
Nolan is now manager of Northampton Town but he will no doubt be keeping a keen eye on the latest meeting between two of his former sides this afternoon.