Former England right-back Danny Mills thinks West Ham United’s decision to bring in Kevin Nolan as part of their coaching staff could help them in their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The former Leyton Orient and Notts County manager was brought in as a first team coach on David Moyes’ staff on Thursday, with Paul Nevin also being appointed too (@WestHam). Mills has spoken highly of the appointment of Nolan in particular, suggesting that he has good experience and will offer fresh ideas in training which could make an impact in their efforts to stay up.
Speaking about Nolan’s arrival at West Ham, Mills told Football Insider: “He’s got old-school values, he’s got a lot of experience, he’s done a lot of coaching and I know he was looking to get back in as soon as possible.
“He’s worked under some very good managers and he’s had his own coaching roles as well. Perhaps it would offer something that little bit different, another voice, change it up a little bit and for West Ham’s sake hope it’ll have an impact.
“Huge respect for David Moyes, I think he’s a very, very good coach and a good manager but maybe he just needs (something).
“They didn’t get the lift and impact that they wanted when David Moyes came in so maybe just bringing in another voice might give them the edge because they obviously can’t bring players in now.”
Mills certainly has a point here; adding Nolan to the coaching staff at West Ham can only be a positive for the club going forward.
First and foremost, he is someone who has very recent experience in managing teams of his own and with Notts County in particular he did very well, guiding them into the League Two play-offs in the 2017/18 season (Transfermarkt).
He is also presumably someone who will command respect on the training ground. Indeed, he is a strong character and has great leadership qualities, as he showed when he played for and captained the club between 2011 and 2015.
Plus, prior to the arrival of Nolan and Nevin, the only coaching staff at the club were Moyes and his assistant Alan Irvine. Having now brought in more coaches with different ideas, that should lead to a better standard of training and therefore hopefully better results on the pitch for the Hammers.
West Ham fans, do you think that appointing Kevin Nolan as a coach is a positive move? Let us know below…
