Kevin Nolan

[Guest Heneage]

Nixon the sage posted something on the first page about Nolan which is still very accurate:

 

He's the midfield equivalent of Michael Owen tbh; If he doesn't score he doesn't do much else.

 

He's scored recently so no one has a right to moan, but his overall contribution to our team is still very, very limited.

Wanna b best friends?

 

I'd revise my point now and see he's a very good leader also. Mind you he shot my theory to shit with Sunday's performance, he didn't score but still helped the team.

[johnnypd]

nolan's clearly a better finisher than Owen, imo. in pure finishing terms, Owen was always mediocre.

 

i think a lot of the criticism about Nolan specifically refers to his weaknesses off the ball. he's decent whilst in possession, not outstanding or anything, but he generally doesn't lose the ball (aside from his recent trend of inexplicably passing out of play once a match). This weakness in terms of movement was exacerbated because he was playing alongside, in Smith, or Guthrie, players with the exact same flaw. you just can't get away with that in the long-term, so Hughton brought in someone with terrific movement in order to complement, and compensate for, Nolan.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I think Nolan's movement is actually quite good myself, its just that he doesn't burst a lung to move around so appears to be either walking or just not involved. I advise anyone to sit up in L7 and spend 5 minutes or so tracking Nolan. Nolan's big weakness for me is his passing over a longer range and indeed his crossing. Not that he's required to cross much or indeed play longer passes. His short passing is very good however. He does get caught in possession a bit too much as well, again he doesn't have the lungs to skip away like Tiote for example.

[Yorkie]

I'd argue that Nolan's movement and positioning is the best part of his game, tbh.

[johnnypd]

I'd argue that Nolan's movement and positioning is the best part of his game, tbh.

 

depends what you mean by that. i'm talking about the amount of ground he is covering, how he chases after opponents on the ball, what acceleration and running speed he's capable of etc. it's just a fact of acknowledging his limitations rather than knocking him, as hughton himself has acknowledged this limitation by getting in a player like Tiote.

 

however, if you mean how he intelligentally positions himself to receive the ball or get into good positions for scoring or timing a run to make space at set pieces then yep, that's a major, major strength, but not at all what i'm referring to.

[Yorkie]

I meant the second bit. Must admit i merely skimmed yours and HTT's posts...

[Stu]

Some good bed-time reading for Yorkie in the first 3-4 pages too

 

I cba digging up posts from ages ago to bolster/worsen my reputation. Please summarise.

 

Seriously, skim through the first few pages of this thread. Posted just weeks 7 games ago.

[JH]

Some good bed-time reading for Yorkie in the first 3-4 pages too

 

I cba digging up posts from ages ago to bolster/worsen my reputation. Please summarise.

 

Seriously, skim through the first few pages of this thread. Posted just weeks 7 games ago.

 

Aye, life would be better if we all had the ability to see into the future like.

[Disco]

So would it be more impressive if he had 7 goals in, say 20 attempts on goal? 'Cause at least he's had more attempts? I don't get how you can slate a player for the amount of shots he's had when he's still scored 7 goals. Clearly doing something right with his attempts.

 

He's been effective this season, of course he has - that can't be denied. 7 goals is a fantastic return for a midfielder in a short space of time.

 

I'm just slightly disappointed that he's only averaged just over 1 shot per game. It just seems a bit strange for a midfielder that isn't a 'defensive' one.

 

He's too busy taking too long to shoot and getting hacked down for non-given pens

 

On a serious note, he's never been known for shooting from distance so probably doesn't think its worth trying and likely losing possession easily.

[Yorkie]

Some good bed-time reading for Yorkie in the first 3-4 pages too

 

I cba digging up posts from ages ago to bolster/worsen my reputation. Please summarise.

 

Seriously, skim through the first few pages of this thread. Posted just weeks 7 games ago.

 

Aye, life would be better if we all had the ability to see into the future like.

 

Exactly, it's just the same thing again. He was shite - people slagged him off.

[Wullie]

Canny easy not to offer an opinion and just stick to criticizing other people's though isn't it?

[Stu]

Some good bed-time reading for Yorkie in the first 3-4 pages too

 

I cba digging up posts from ages ago to bolster/worsen my reputation. Please summarise.

 

Seriously, skim through the first few pages of this thread. Posted just weeks 7 games ago.

 

Aye, life would be better if we all had the ability to see into the future like.

 

Exactly, it's just the same thing again. He was shite - people slagged him off.

 

Aye, criticism was maybe fine...for the two...maybe three poor games that he (along with the rest of the team) was below-par, but the level of scapegoating on here was appalling. It was nothing about seeing into the future, maybe some people could see what was actually happening on and off the pitch and said so at the time.

 

We were just drowned out by the incessant "fat, lazy, useless bastard" comments

[TRon]

I think Nolan's movement is actually quite good myself, its just that he doesn't burst a lung to move around so appears to be either walking or just not involved. I advise anyone to sit up in L7 and spend 5 minutes or so tracking Nolan. Nolan's big weakness for me is his passing over a longer range and indeed his crossing. Not that he's required to cross much or indeed play longer passes. His short passing is very good however. He does get caught in possession a bit too much as well, again he doesn't have the lungs to skip away like Tiote for example.

 

Nolan's work rate is above criticism, he does get up and down the pitch and always has. My criticism has always been that he does it too slowly at this level. I still feel that it's a weakness but the current set up of the team means that it's not a big problem and it makes the most of his strengths, which are positioning, goal threat and hard work.

[Stu]

Canny easy not to offer an opinion and just stick to criticizing other people's though isn't it?

 

Aye...

 

 

(might as well stick to today's form though)

That doesn't even make sense Neesy, since when was "being in the majority" equal to "being right"?

 

 

I'm wrong most of the time.  But considering 95% of this thread is against Nolan playing next week, then maybe you should admit your in the minority for once.

 

Opinions are exactly that, opinions. I don't really feel the need to change my view just because hundreds of others on a football forum feel differently, it's all about how each person reads the game and applies that information to the bigger picture.

 

My view on Nolan/Blackpool loss:

- was as poor as anyone else on Saturday, can't see a particular reason to single him out for "being shit" and hoping he dies

- was part of the same starting XI that did reasonably well in the first 3 matches so it would have been poor management to drop anyone for the Blackpool game

- the same midfield that were overrun in the first half began to make inroads in the second half before the subs were made, so the argument that Nolan/Smith were the cause for our defeat seems a bit too simplistic

- as a few of the sharper posters have pointed out, we made a similar number of chances against Villa but took those, whereas we failed to against Blackpool and paid for it by conceding on the break at the end. Can anyone honestly say that the Villa and Blackpool results couldn't have gone either way depending on the penalty miss/score?

 

I recognise Nolan's influence in the change of attitude amongst the squad over the past 18months, he's been appointed club captain by Hughton - a man who's judgement I trust and believe in far more readily than the majority on here - and that helps to support the view that he provides a much-needed link between the playing staff and management team.

 

However, having said that, if his performances continue to dip (Villa = good, Wolves = OK, Blackpool = poor) in contrast to other players in the team then his place will be under threat.

 

I don't think chopping and changing every week will help the team or any individual to maintain form and I'm still happy to believe that Blackpool was a collective "bad day at the office"; however, if Everton turns into a hangover, then changes would be on the cards.

[Karjala]

Mint the way nufc fans love to slag of their most important players. Nolan is just the type of player that will make the difference between relegation and survival with his goals from midfield.

 

When was the last time we had a midfielder that scored 7 PL goals in a season? (and its not xmas yet)

 

Even better that we have a pop at our top scorer for not taking enough shots. Its been said here before, but Ronaldo/Messi/Eto'o would have faults found by our fans.

[Colos Curls]

Still think he's anonymous when he's not scoring, but I only give him stick when I feel it's justified and praise  likewise, as it should be. He's on form at the moment so keep it going fat lad

[ohmelads]

He doesn't do a lot wrong on the ball. Quite a tidy no frills player. Excellent movement and finishing in the box, no disputing that. I still have my reservations he can keep this form up though due to the fact he drifts in and out of games. Doesn't seem to cover a lot of ground which is key as a central midfielder in the Premier League. If you lose the midfield battle you usually lose the game. I just wonder if we are witnessing a purple patch. Bear in mind he had a couple of games up front at the start, he hasn't always been in midfield. He struggled to get involved against Arsenal.

 

All in all though, he's done pretty well. A couple of superb performances, a few dodgy ones. In the team on merit at the moment because goals win games and I fancy him to score more at the moment.

[Doug]

He was playing poorly but has got an acceptable level of mobility back into his game in the last month which allows him to keep up with the play once more.

He has got himself fit, it is as simple as that

While he stays that way he will reap the rewards and adulation his recent performances undoubtedly deserve.

[JH]

[Guest neesy111]

Nolan is apparently immune from Criticism hmmm....

[The Prophet]

Looked injured to me.

[Ronaldo]

Allardyce made sure he was marked, and therefore completely nullified.

[Disco]

Allardyce made sure he was marked, and therefore completely nullified.

Aye, under pressure everytime he got near the ball

[Incognito]

He's never been able to play well  twice in 3 days,even last season.

[oldtype]

A bit random, but I was just reading through my old posts because I have nothing better to do, and seeing some really cringe-worthy stuff I wrote up when we were about to sign him.

 

I'm so excited about this will be absolutely devastated if he turns us down.

 

Also quite sad that I'm feeling like this about us signing Kevin Nolan for Gods sake.

 

Kevin Nolan, please come. You're our only hope. 

 

 

 

 

What a sad b****** I've become. 

 

Got a feeling he'll turn us down.

 

He's club captain at a stable mid-table club, why would he move to a mad house like us with a manager that makes Megson look like Mourinho?

 

 

Really, everyone should go read their old posts sometime. Gives you some perspective. I'm starting to realize that the tail-end of the 2008/2009 season made me genuinely mentally unstable. Some of the rants I go on about having to sack Kinnear immediately

 

Wish I could go take a look at some of the stuff I had on the old forums under Roeder.