Fans Vote For Top Five West Ham Captains of All-Time
By Justin Wasik
The writers at Green Street Hammers, along with 450 Hammers supporters, have chosen the top five West Ham captains of all time.
West Ham are a big club, a club filled with pride, tradition, and history. It is an honour to pull over the claret and blue shirt and even more of an honour to wear the captain’s armband on top of that.
The writers at Green Street Hammers, along with 450 of our fellow supporters, have chosen the top five West Ham captains of all time.
5. Kevin Nolan
- Joined West Ham: from Newcastle for an undisclosed fee
- Debut: August 7, 2011, vs. Cardiff City
- Years as Captain: 2011-2015
- Appearances: 157
Captained West Ham to the championship playoffs beating Blackpool 2-1. Finished top scorer for west ham in 2013-14 season. Taught mark noble how to be captain.
While Kevin Nolan spent the least amount of time with West Ham out of anyone on this list, he still played a very important role under Sam Allardyce and was a fan favourite during his four-plus seasons with the club.
Nolan joined West Ham from Newcastle for an undisclosed fee, reuniting with Allardyce, who managed Nolan during their time together with Bolton Wanderers. Nolan made his debut on the 7th of August, 2011 against Cardiff City and unlike the others on this list, Nolan was immediately made captain.
Nolan played a critical role in West Ham’s bid for promotion during the 2011-12 season, scoring 13 goals for the Hammers. He also captained West Ham in the Championship Playoff Final against Blackpool, a match West Ham won 2-1, sending them straight back to the Premier League.
Nolan once again played an instrumental role in his first Premier League season with West Ham, scoring 10 goals, the fourth consecutive season he scored in double figures. One of those goals was the 100th of his career, the second goal of a 2-0 win against Wigan Athletic.
Nolan’s final two seasons in East London did not bring as much success as his first two seasons. His play dropped, scoring only eight goals the rest of his West Ham career. Many fans, especially during the 2014-15 season, called for Nolan to be dropped.
Nolan eventually did leave the club by mutual consent at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, handing the captaincy over to Mark Noble. While his West Ham career may not have ended the way he would have liked, many players and staff have commended Nolan for his leadership skills and professionalism.
He played a pivotal role in sending West Ham straight back to the Premier League after relegation in 2011 and Mark Noble credits Nolan with teaching him how to be an effective leader and captain.