KEVIN NOLAN

Born: 24 June 1982, Liverpool, England
Former clubs: Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United

A goalscoring midfielder, leader and inspirational figure, Kevin Nolan has enjoyed huge success with Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United during his playing career.

Born in Liverpool, Nolan spent a decade in the first-team squad at Bolton, scoring exactly 50 goals in 345 appearances and regularly being tipped for full international honours.

Nolan maintained his consistency during a two-and-a-half year spell at Newcastle, where he captained the Magpies to the Championship title in 2009/10. In his first season at the Boleyn Ground, the skipper led West Ham United to npower Championship Play-Off final glory against Blackpool at Wembley.

2011/12

Joined West Ham United on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee on 16 June 2011...Appointed captain by manager Sam Allardyce...Made his West Ham United debut in a 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat by FC Basel in Grenchen, Switzerland, on 13 July 2011...Made his full debut for West Ham United in the 1-0 npower Championship defeat by Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground on 7 August 2011...Scored his first West Ham United goal in the 1-0 npower Championship victory at Doncaster Rovers on 13 August 2011...Netted in the 4-1 npower Championship win at Nottingham Forest on 28 August 2011...Scored West Ham United's first goal in the 2-2 npower Championship draw at Crystal Palace on 1 October 2011...Scored a fine individual winner in the 1-0 npower Championship win at Brighton and Hove Albion on 24 October 2011...Scored his first Boleyn Ground goal for West Ham United in the 3-1 npower Championship win over Derby County on 26 November 2011....Scored in the 2-1 home npower Championship defeat by Burnley on 3 December 2011...Scored the Hammers' first goal of 2012 by netting the winner in a 1-0 npower Championship victory over Coventry City at the Boleyn Ground on 2 January...Sent-off in the 2-1 home npower Championship victory over Millwall on 4 February 2012...Scored on his return after 28 days out suspended in the 2-0 npower Championship win at Cardiff City on 4 March 2012...Netted in the 1-1 home npower Championship draw with Doncaster Rovers on 10 March and in the 2-2 draw at Burnley two weeks' later...Opened the scoring in the 4-0 npower Championship win at Barnsley on 6 April...Scored in the 6-0 home npower Championship win over Brighton and Hove Albion on 14 April...Totalled 42 npower Championship appearances, all starts, and 12 goals...Netted the opening goal in the 3-0 npower Championship Play-Off semi-final second leg win over Cardiff City on 7 May 2012.,,Captained West Ham United to a 2-1 npower Championship Play-Off final victory over Blackpool at Wembley on 19 May 2012.

International career

Capped by England at U18 and U21 levels.

Before West Ham United

Born and raised in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, joining Bolton Wanderers as a youngster and signing for the club as a trainee at the age of 16...Helped Bolton Wanderers gain promotion to the Premier League via the Play-Offs in 2000/01 at the age of 18...Netted in Bolton Wanderers' Premier League wins at Manchester United in both 2001/02 and 2002/03...Helped Bolton Wanderers to finish in the Premier League's top-eight in four consecutive seasons between 2003/04 and 2006/07...Appeared for Bolton Wanderers in the 2004 League Cup final defeat by Middlesbrough...Appeared for Bolton Wanderers in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, scoring against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg...Named Bolton Wanderers club captain in 2006/07, helping the club to qualify for the UEFA Cup for a second time...Scored in a 2-2 UEFA Cup draw with FC Bayern Munich in Germany in November 2007...Totalled 345 appearances and 50 goals for Bolton Wanderers in all competitions...Joined Newcastle United for a reported £4m in January 2009...Played an influential role in captaining Newcastle United to promotion from the Championship in 2009/10, scoring 17 league goals in 44 appearances...Voted Championship Player of the Year for 2009/10...Captained Newcastle United in the Premier League in 2010/11, scoring 12 goals in 30 league appearances.

Any other business

Is eligible to play international football for England, Republic of Ireland and Netherlands through his Dutch great-grandfather...Celebrates every goal with a rendition of the 'Chicken dance' in honour of a friend who danced in similar fashion while the pair were on holiday with friends and family.