Andy Carroll wasn't right for us, but I do like him. He has the attributes to make a real nuisance of himself on the pitch and hopefully that's exactly what he'll do tomorrow. I think that City would prefer to play against a more conventional team tomorrow and West Ham really could cause an upset.
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West Ham's Kevin Nolan is driven to cause an upset at Manchester City
The midfielder is on a mission of revenge to achieve the improbable at City and make Liverpool's route to the title easier
Paul Doyle
The Observer, Saturday 10 May 2014 23.00 BST
Brendan Rodgers invited great former players back to Anfield this season as he tried to rebuild the club but Liverpool's immediate future will be determined in part by players who they cast off and are now at West Ham. The presence of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush behind the scenes at Liverpool is supposed to inspire the current squad – but the performances of Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Joe Cole will have a bigger bearing on Liverpool's title hopes on Sunday. Liverpool will be champions if they beat Newcastle and West Ham pull off an improbable win at Manchester City. Nolan will be doing his utmost to produce that favour.
"I would be celebrating with them!" replies the 31-year-old when asked how he would feel if he made Liverpool's dream come true by scoring the winning goal for West Ham at the Etihad. Nolan was born in Liverpool and played for the club's youth team between the ages of nine and 14 before being let go. He still supports the club and, during his days with Bolton Wanderers, used to go to Anfield to watch matches as a fan. "Obviously they had other players they fancied more than me, I wasn't getting the rack I felt I deserved so we went our separate ways," he recalls. "I'm quite thankful I did now. The two players who got released were me and Rickie Lambert. I think we're the only two out of that whole group, including the lads who got kept on, who are still playing football. But I must admit, I hope Liverpool do it."
Nolan is confident that West Ham can make things difficult for Manchester City. He has experience of playing against a side failing in a final title push. In the 2007-08 season, he was part of the Bolton Wanderers team that went to Stamford Bridge on the last day of the season, when Chelsea needed to better Manchester United's result to overhaul Sir Alex Ferguson's team at the top of the table. Chelsea scored early but, while United won 2-0 at Wigan, Bolton dug in to frustrate Avram Grant's side and Matt Taylor scored a last-minute equaliser. "It's brilliant to be involved in," says Nolan. "I could see even with all those top players for Chelsea at the time, there was a lot of anxiety there. They knew they had to win the game to make sure they had a chance of winning the title and they didn't … This gives us a great foundation to upset the odds. We're written off at the moment and everyone thinks it's Manchester City's title."
City have trounced West Ham three times already this season by a combined score of 12-1 and Nolan says his desire is heightened further by a quest for revenge. "On Sunday it's going to be a different game," says Nolan. "All the pressure is on them. They've got to go out and win the game or get a draw, but you never know what can happen. We've got to hold on to the fact that we've got a solid foundation. We've kept 14 clean sheets this year. We got a real tonking off them in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup and we want to get a little bit of our own back. What better way to do it than in the last game of the season by stopping them winning the league and hoping Liverpool win it?"
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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQURjfal05c"]Liverpool Animation #LFC 2013/14 - Richard Swarbrick @RikkiLeaks - YouTube[/ame]Oh I say his vision there was lovelyComment
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You do sort of expect this to be an absolute stroll or agonisingly close for City today.Comment
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Allardyce gave his players 4 days off after the game against Spurs last week and have only had one day of training. I still hope they can put a shift in for one last game.
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Just hope it stays scoreless till the last ten. City will get nervous then and try hang onto their point. Then Big Andy will do his stuff
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Kevin Nolan will score today. Lets hope it counts towards something for us.
Grasping at straws, its like half time in Istanbul
removing all the weak links makes us stronger
too many gutless players, no beef or desire. pussies everywhere... sack them all.Comment
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Mental to think that in five hours time we *could* be champions.
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I'm starting to get really nervous nowThe only gracious way to accept an insult is to ignore it; if you can't ignore it, top it; if you can't top it, laugh at it; if you can't laugh at it, it's probably deserved.Comment
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Nothing to be nervous about. It's in the hands of the football gods now
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Originally posted by Exiled_red View Post
God I hope West Ham can do us a favour.
Andy Carroll you big lovely ******* please do us a favour.
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Originally posted by Lee View Post
God I hope West Ham can do us a favour.
Andy Carroll you big lovely ******* please do us a favour.
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Let's believe guys. Have a little faith.Comment
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Omen time:
1966:
Austria win Eurovision
England win World Cup
Atletico win La Liga
LFC win league after finishing 7th the year before
Real Madrid win European CupComment
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It's a very strange feeling I've got today. Just praying for a miracle.Comment
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