Kevin Nolan remains a hugely popular figure among West Ham United fans. The 42-year-old departed the London Stadium earlier this summer, following David Moyes’ exit and Julen Lopetegui’s arrival as the new head coach.
Nolan, who spent four years at the club as a player, scoring 31 goals, clearly has a deep love for West Ham.
He also played a significant role in re-establishing the Hammers as a solid Premier League side during his time as a coach under Moyes.
Recently, Nolan has even offered advice to Lopetegui on how to get the best out of the club’s top players.
However, Lopetegui has made a somewhat slow start to life in East London. Rumours have surfaced that his job may already be under threat, though I find such claims hard to believe. Still, the Spaniard cannot afford a run of poor results with draws and losses continuing for too long.
Despite the shaky start, I’m confident Lopetegui will turn things around at West Ham. After the dismal final 12 months of Moyes’ reign, Lopetegui is still dealing with the remnants of bad habits the players picked up under the previous regime. It will take time to fully stamp his authority on the squad.
Yet, it was Nolan’s recent comments that have really caused a stir. Speaking on the Premier League Kick-off Podcast with Darren Fletcher, Nolan expressed his frustration with West Ham’s defensive performances this season.
Given his connection to the club, Nolan’s words usually carry weight, but on this occasion, his assessment was baffling.
“When you see the goals and the manner in which they conceded the goals, it’s upsetting for me because we worked our socks off for four and a half years,” Nolan said.
“We got them to where we believe West Ham should be, that top 10. It has been really hard to watch for me seeing us, well, seeing West Ham, I should say, in the position that they are in.”
Now, I have a lot of respect for Nolan and the job he did with West Ham, but his comments here are completely wide of the mark. Has he forgotten just how many goals the Hammers conceded under Moyes last season? For all the talk of defensive solidity, the reality was far from it.
In the Premier League last season, West Ham shipped a shocking 74 goals. Only the three relegated sides conceded more. That’s an average of 1.95 goals per game.
Defensively, we were an absolute shambles, and every opposition attack seemed to spell danger. Moyes’ deep defensive block didn’t help matters either, as the team continually found itself under pressure.
This season, under Lopetegui, the Hammers have conceded 10 goals in six Premier League matches, averaging 1.66 per game. While that’s still not ideal, it’s an improvement over last year’s numbers.
Once Jean-Clair Todibo, the new signing, gets fully fit and forms a solid partnership with Max Kilman, I believe West Ham’s defensive record will improve further.
Of course, there’s room for improvement, and nobody is claiming that West Ham have been flawless at the back this season. But for Nolan to suggest it has been “upsetting” to watch is either delusional or disingenuous. Given Nolan’s generally good-natured personality, I’d lean toward the former.
It’s frustrating when pundits make sweeping statements without backing them up with facts. Nolan’s assertion that West Ham have been poor defensively this season doesn’t hold water when you compare it to last year’s disaster under Moyes.
West Ham are, in fact, in a better place defensively than they were last season, and that is undeniable.
Lopetegui’s side are far from the finished article, but the early signs suggest they are improving in key areas, particularly at the back.
If this progress continues, West Ham will be well-placed to challenge for a top-half finish once again.
In time, perhaps even Nolan will see that the Hammers are moving in the right direction under Lopetegui, and the defensive frailties that plagued them last season will be consigned to history.