As one who ‘gets the club’, Kevin Nolan is part of a small select group of ex-players now in the early stages of club management who fully understands the inner workings of West Ham United. Having successfully captained Sam Allardyce’s Hammers in a promotion-winning season and then stood on the touch line as David Moyes’ assistant, Nolan is in a unique position to offer advice to the club in these dark times.
Interviewed on SkySports, Nolan made the case for a step change in how West Ham deal with their own supporters as difficult decisions over player and manager futures lie ahead.
The Hammers’ Chairman has been widely criticised for the vanilla, bland ‘club statement‘ posted once relegation had been assured. Rather than fronting up and taking responsibility for the club’s demise, Sullivan continued where he left off after making a quick exit from the Stadium last Sunday with a bland, unsigned ‘corporate’ message posted on the web site.
Bland, corporate-style meaningless statements won’t cut it
Not good enough. Nolan would seem to agree. Correcting himself mid interview and choosing a more deferential term for the Hammers Chairman, “Sullivan – I mean Mr Sullivan”.. – Nolan, currently ‘between jobs’, could well have been offering himself up for a coaching role in the rebuilding of the club and was quick to suggest a new era of communication between board room and fan base is needed.
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Former Moyes assistant Kevin Nolan has a lot to offer the dressing room
On the possible departures this summer:
“There’s got to be a conversation with Jarrod – where do we go – for the better of the club and for him, it’s probably got to be done quick..The more it drags on over the summer – we’ve seen what it’s done to Newcastle (over Isak):
I think it’s really important they get those messages out to the fan base- if Jarrod’s gonna go of if Jarrod’s staying: …Then let’s build another squad around him”
The Hammers could do worse than bring Kevin Nolan back into the coaching set up – after leaving Northampton Town in March, Nolan has been ‘choosing his options’. The former West Ham captain was a member of David Moyes’ coaching staff that helped secure the trophy win in Prague.
Nuno’s successor could do worse than bring him back into the fold as an assistant: He is exactly the combative, no compromise, no-nonsense coach which the wounded Hammers need right now and one who knows just what it takes to get out of this division.