Bolton Wanderers and West Ham must share same Kevin Nolan feeling | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers and West Ham must share same Kevin Nolan feeling | OneFootball

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·27. Juli 2025

Bolton Wanderers and West Ham must share same Kevin Nolan feeling

Artikelbild:Bolton Wanderers and West Ham must share same Kevin Nolan feeling

Kevin Nolan became a fan favourite at West Ham United after establishing himself as something of a club legend at Bolton Wanderers.

For a player to be remembered as a cult hero, or even reach legendary status, at one club is quite significant and rare; for them to do it at two clubs is incredibly impressive; and that is the case for Kevin Nolan at both Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United.


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The now Northampton Town boss was a consistent figure of Premier League football for about a decade and a half due to his stints with both the Trotters and the Hammers, as well as Newcastle United.

Often in discussions surrounding the best players to have never been capped by England, Nolan was an instrumental player for all three of those clubs with his immense leadership qualities, tactical intelligence and technical brilliance.

A classic box-to-box midfielder, but one that would often also play in a more attacking role to showcase his nous in and around the box, Nolan was the heartbeat of both Bolton and West Ham, as well as Newcastle, for many years.

A cult hero and impressive figure at Upton Park with West Ham, he is probably in the bracket of club legend in Lancashire, thanks to his exploits in the white of Bolton.

Nolan became a legendary figure at Bolton

Having come through the academy at Bolton, Nolan was given his debut in the first-team at the Reebok Stadium as early as 1999, at the age of just 17, under the management of Sam Allardyce.

Nolan went on to make nearly 350 appearances for the club, beginning in the First Division and then becoming a stalwart and captain of their Premier League adventures, as well as UEFA Cup runs.

Artikelbild:Bolton Wanderers and West Ham must share same Kevin Nolan feeling

Throughout his time at the club, memorable moments littered Nolan’s career, and he actually went on to fulfil his potential and become an even better player when in the top-flight from the 2001/02 campaign.

On the opening day of their return to the Premier League, Nolan notched a brace in a 5-0 demolition of Leicester City at Filbert Street to begin what would become a memorable decade or so for the club.

The standout moments in his time with Bolton revolve around some extraordinary goals and assists he produced that supporters still discuss to this day in revered terms.

From scoring the winner at Old Trafford against Manchester United with a stunner in that 01/02 season to arguably scoring one of the very best goals in Bolton’s history in the derby against Blackburn Rovers about seven years’ later, Nolan’s moments of magic almost never ceased.

All-round performances against Arsenal spring to mind, too, with Allardyce’s Bolton always a thorn in the side of Arsene Wenger, and Nolan able to match an insatiable aggression and tenacity with real quality that had him on the cusp of the England squad, most notably with a back-tracking lob of Jens Lehmann in a 1-1 draw with the Gunners at Highbury in 2006.

A figurehead of the club, it was the glory days of Bolton in the modern era and Nolan was more than just at the forefront of it, also showcasing his abilities on the European stage with the winning goal against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bolton’s first ever European tie in 2005, as well as providing the assist for Kevin Davies to earn a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in 2007.

Bolton reached the League Cup final, an FA Cup semi-final, enjoyed two fascinating and historic European campaigns and consistently knocked on the door of UEFA Champions League qualification during that period – and Nolan was more or less the driving force behind it.

Nolan reignited his career at West Ham once again

Having left Bolton for Newcastle in January 2009, he spent two and a half seasons with the Magpies, where he would again go on to become captain for the Tynesiders, scoring 17 goals in 44 Championship appearances as they won the second-tier title in 2010 and then hitting double figures upon their return to the Premier League.

Despite being a focal point of that Newcastle side, he opted to reunite with Allardyce in the summer of 2011, dropping down to the Championship to sign for West Ham.

Again captain, Nolan was fundamental to Allardyce’s play-off winning Irons as he scored 12 goals in the second-tier to eventually help lift them back to the Premier League, notching in their play-off semi-final victory against Cardiff City and then playing a key role in Ricardo Vaz Te’s winner against Blackpool in the final at Wembley Stadium.

In their first game back in the top-flight, Nolan then notched the only goal of the game as they defeated

Aston Villa by a goal to nil at Villa Park, once again highlighting his qualities of leading from the front.

Nolan went on to hit double figures in the Premier League that season and was a key cog in establishing the Irons as a stalwart of the top-flight, to which they remain again to this day.

Even when his days, and Allardyce’s time, at the Boleyn Ground appeared to be drawing to a close, Nolan was able to adapt enough to form a crucial part of the diamond system that had West Ham seemingly challenging for Europe in the 2014/15 campaign, with a brace away at Villa Park another standout performance from the Liverpudlian.

Artikelbild:Bolton Wanderers and West Ham must share same Kevin Nolan feeling

He returned to West Ham as a coach after his playing career, too, assisting David Moyes as they tasted silverware by winning the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

At Bolton he was the face of a team that scaled heights never expected in the modern era, whilst at West Ham he was the face of re-establishing them as a Premier League force.

Both sets of supporters can be quite demanding of their players, but Kevin Nolan is someone who they can be united on in their love and appreciation for.

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