Kevin Nolan sat down with West Ham TV for an exclusive interview following his arrival at the Boleyn Ground.

The 28-year-old midfielder, who has joined the Hammers from Newcastle United, discussed his plans to help the club to gain promotion to the Premier League and his respect for manager Sam Allardyce.

News of Nolan's arrival was announced first on the club's official twitter feed, while the following interview was available first on West Ham TV.

Welcome to West Ham United, Kevin. Can you please give us your initial reaction to joining the Hammers?

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but obviously once I knew that they wanted me, they have shown a certain hunger and desire to make sure I become a West Ham player.

"Having the chance to link up with Sam again is a massive thing and obviously coming to such a massive club is great for me. I'm very sad to leave Newcastle but I'm coming to another massive club in my eyes and hopefully I can start off and be as successful as I was there."

You are a highly-rated player and would have attracted attention from many clubs. Why did you choose to join West Ham?

"I came to West Ham because of the tradition of the club and everything about it. I've always enjoyed playing here and there was also the chance of linking up with Sam and working with him again.

"The be all and end all was that the club actually wanted me and the owners put faith in me and have given me a security of contract. Now it's my time to repay them and hopefully I will do that."

Did you have any qualms about dropping into the npower Championship?

"I did have a think about that, but I certainly have come here with the ambition of making sure the club gets back to where it belongs.

"If I didn't think that we would be fighting in the Premier League next season, I wouldn't have joined.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's going to be tough. I'm not saying the Championship is going to be easy to get out of - I've been there a couple of years ago and it wasn't.

"It's going to be a grind but with the quality we've got in the squad, the manager we've got and the owners backing him massively, I think we have all the right resources to get back up and get West Ham to where they belong."

Can you talk about Sam Allardyce's qualities as a manager and also dispel the myth of him being a 'long-ball merchant'?

"I think it's very unfair that we got labelled with that tag when we were at Bolton. When I knew Sam wanted to work with me again, it was a very pleasing thing.

"He gave me my debut and made me captain of the club. We got into Europe and got into the League Cup final and we did really good things together at Bolton and it wasn't down to long ball!

"You don't get away with it in the Premier League by just playing long ball. We had some fantastic players and I'm sure, with the blend of players he'll bring in and what we've got here, the fans will be pleasantly surprised when we do start off and get going and hopefully we'll get us back where we belong."

You have been promoted from the Championship with both Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United. Two seasons ago, you scored 17 goals and were voted into the PFA Championship Team of the Year as Newcastle won the title. What does it take to get promoted from this division?

"As I said before, it's going to be a grind. We're going down with a massive reputation and wherever we go it's going to be tough. We need to make sure that we're ready for the fight because people will scrap and will work extra hard when West Ham come to town.

"We've got the players who can handle and deal with that pressure and it's up to us. It's going to be tough, I'm not saying it isn't, but I'm very confident that come the end of next season we'll be talking about Premier League stuff again."

You have upset West Ham United supporters on many occasions with your performances and goals, so it would be good to build a rapport with those same fans?

"I think that's always been key. People look at me and I'm one of those players who is a committed lad and wants to do the best I can for the club.

"I loved my time at Bolton and really loved my time at Newcastle but this is a new chapter in my life now and it's about building a rapport with the fans, with London and getting used to that side of life.

"I'm really looking forward to it and will throw everything at it to be a success here and to repay the faith shown in me by David Sullivan, David Gold, the West Ham fans and Sam Allardyce."

Finally, you captained both Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United. Is that something you would like to do again at West Ham United, given the opportunity?

"Definitely. I'd never shy away from wearing the captain's armband, but I've come here to try to be the best that I can be and if that comes along and happens, then that would be fantastic and I'd really embrace it because I love doing it.

"At this moment in time, I am just hoping to be in the starting XI come the start of the season."

*Supporters were able to view this interview first on West Ham TV. To subscribe, click on the link below.