Friday, December 6

We need to talk about Kevin

One thing Big Sam has to consider for future games is dropping Kevin Nolan. As Morrison is suspended against Liverpool, he will probably keep his place, but in the games to follow you do wonder if Nolan can justify his place. There's no doubt Nobby Nolan is a good captain, a strong character away from home, popular in the dressing room and a great finisher on his day. But he's not scored for 13 games since the opening match of the season against Cardiff and if Nolan isn't scoring then how much else does he bring to the side? Often he is bypassed in midfield. It's significant that Diame looked a lot better in the middle when Morrison was dropped against Fulham. If we want to keep Morrison in the side though, and also Mark Noble, then Nolan is the obvious candidate for demotion to the bench. And might he not benefit from a rest or indeed coming on late in games to nick a goal? I doubt if Sam will ever drop Kevin, but in our position he should surely try every option.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more. He is having a dreadful run of form and would make an ideal substitute in the second half of games. Sam must take him out of the spotlight for his own good.

Pete May said...

Yes, he's a good finisher and would benefit from playing against tiring sides as a sub, especially when Carroll is back.