Kevin Nolan: Sometimes I wish I was Ryan Giggs...

He's the captain of West Ham United, he's a hero to Bolton fans and remains an idol on Tyneside, now Kevin Nolan is a MailOnline columnist. He's the latest top figure to join our series of Footballers' Football Columns, which are written by people in the game about the game. Nolan, who has made almost 450 first-team appearances in England's top two divisions, has helped steer West Ham to 11th in the Barclays Premier League in their first season back in the big time. The Hammers travel to Sunderland tomorrow and then go to Old Trafford for a crunch third-round FA Cup replay. His column is below, but first watch this brilliant video of him introducing himself...

I’ve been captain at Bolton, Newcastle and now West Ham. When I signed I didn’t expect to be given the role but Sam Allardyce pulled me in at a training camp and said: ‘I’m going to make you my captain.’ He obviously trusts me, knows what I’m about.

I think it was a bit of an eyebrow-raiser to a lot of people outside because we had Scott Parker and Rob Green, who had been here a long time. But Scotty made his intentions clear that he wanted to play Premier League football.

It was quite tough going into a dressing room full of lads who don’t really know you and you’ve got to gain their trust. If you asked them now I think they all know I’m here for them.

Since I’ve been a captain I’ve always been a good link between players and manager.

That’s partly why Andy Carroll lodged at my house when it looked like he was going to be in a bit of trouble at Newcastle. I had to speak to my wife Hayley about it.

Andy and I were close and with me being captain I said he could come stay with me as long as he stuck by rules. At the end of the day it was for the better of the team. It was for a mate.

We’re like brothers, we bounce off each other. I think it’s because we’ve got the same upbringing and we’re similar personalities.

I’ve not really had to pick him up since his injury. He’s a very positive lad in his own mind. I’m hoping he gets back sooner rather than later but we want him to be right. We know he’ll score for us.

I’d do it again, for anyone down here. Even Mario Balotelli if he was my team-mate. He’s main headline news all the time isn’t he?

If I had Mario I’d probably be backing him up to the hilt behind the scenes, doing everything to let him know I am on his side no matter what.

It is sort of players versus staff when it happens. I don’t know Mario but the things hear about him from people that do, they seem to like him and think he’s a great lad.

Everyone has training ground spats. Sometimes it boils over. We’re in that type of industry.

Virtually every week you have a bit of a pushing and shoving with someone.

If there were punches thrown I’d start to get interested but when I saw it was just Mancini trying to get him out of the situation to calm everything down I laughed it off.

I think Mario’s a top quality player. We probably haven’t seen the best of him.

We know he has got it but it would be nice to see it on a regular basis in the Premier League.

As for my manager, he was one of the main draws for me signing here. I loved working with him at Bolton. The chairmen were another reason. Both Mr Gold and Mr Sullivan were so intent on getting me. It was great to feel wanted.

I’d scored 12 goals that season for Newcastle but a lot of things went wrong in the space of a couple of months. It was disappointing.

I was speaking to the chairman, we’d shaken hands on an agreement, and then we get to the end of the season and they’ve taken the deal off the table; there’s no negotiation to do.

West Ham came calling and they put their faith in me. I thought, I’ll go and prove those people wrong.

No hard feelings with Newcastle, though. I loved my time up there.

The harder feeling was for my wife, Hayley, who was absolutely devastated. She and my kids were so settled.

For the first year here it was tough because I ended up in Canary Wharf on my own in a flat and they had to go back to Liverpool. But we’ve now found a great house and they love it.

My son Sonny turns three on Sunday. He was born a Geordie, then became Scouse, now he’s an East Ender.

Luis Suarez has been in the spotlight again for his handball, but I would not have owned up. I wouldn’t expect anyone else to. He knows he’s handballed it but the linesman and referee haven’t blown. I don’t think it’s up to him to go and tell the referee.

Sky Sports have been clinging to about five instances in the last 20 years where people have been honest. Robbie Fowler’s owned up and that’s it!
I don’t think he’s meant to cheat, it’s just a natural reaction. I’ve done it plenty of times myself and carried on playing the game.

Tom Cleverley’s done it last week in our FA Cup match and I’m telling Martin Atkinson but he hasn’t seen it. Because it’s in the middle of the park it doesn’t get the attention.

I wouldn’t expect Luis Suarez to come out and say sorry. How many times does a linesman get it wrong when you’re onside? You lose a goal but he doesn’t then come out and say, ‘I got it wrong, I’m sorry.’ That’s exactly the same for me.

I don’t think officials should come out after games and explain their decisions, though, that would just cause carnage.

The good thing is we’ve got a debate. The fact we still have got human error in football makes it so perfect.

Everyone in all the different papers can write a story and talk about it all week. If you get too much technology it will just kill the game because there won’t be any pundits. What are they going to talk about? What would Sky Sports be without it?

Don’t think for one minute that if I score with my elbow against Man United in the 89th minute to make it 2-1 and go to the next round of the FA Cup I’m going to say anything to the referee.

It would be fantastic to lift the FA Cup. That’s something I want to win before I retire. Especially at this club because of how much it would mean to the fans.

At my home in Liverpool I have a cabinet which houses all my man of the match awards, my hat-trick balls, my Championship and play-off winners’ medal. I even have my Carling Cup losers’ medal.

It’s not in a jealous way that you look at all Ryan Giggs has won, you just wish you were him sometimes. That’s the only way you can describe it.

But he deserves everything he’s got because of the professionalism and ability. There are players who are top notch who’ve not even got half as much. If you ask him I bet he finds himself lucky.

I’d like to be a lucky one. But I’ll always look back and think, ‘Yeah, you’ve done good.’

Early on at Bolton the main thing was survival because of the money factor. The cups get put on the backburner.

But this year we feel we’ve got a strong enough squad to survive and push for a top 10 finish, as well as hopefully having a good cup run.
To win is something everyone can look back on. To be that person to lift a cup for a club of this magnitude would be unbelievable.

How Robin Van Persie and Joe Hart haven’t made it on to the FIFA World XI is beyond me. Those lads are world-class players. I thought it was very harsh.

It’s a FIFA thing isn’t it? In my eyes they don’t like the Premier League or English football. If the crowd trouble which happens in Italy happened in England the sanctions and fines would be 20 times worse.

If what happened in Serbia to the Under 21s happened at one of our grounds to a Serbian player it would be 20 times worse. I think it’s disgusting that two of our lads have been banned by UEFA after what they had to endure throughout the game.

Everything was there for all to see, no one can defend any of it. The fine was pitiful.

Matt Jarvis has been in for a bit of ribbing this week for his topless photo on the cover of Attitude magazine. You know they Photoshopped his pecks don’t you? We have asked Jarvo if he can get us a few copies but he’s not having it.

I noticed he was in the gym a lot more in the few weeks leading up to it. He’s taken it all in good spirit. He’s a lovely lad and fair play to him for doing the interview.

My view is that footballers are brave enough and big enough to come out if they feel they have to. But if they don’t, they don’t have to. It wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference to me if someone was gay or not and the majority of footballers would say the same thing.