If you can't see what Nolan brings to the team it's likely that you don't watch games properly. He is always available for the second shot if the main striker misses, and he is a massive influence on the team. He isn't scoring as much this season mainly because the strikers we have are doing a much more effective job but he is still there in case. Obviously he's not getting any younger, and his time will pass but he has been massive.

It seems that there are two main views on this. There is the view that we should play Morrison because he has flair, let's get a day out at the FA cup even if we get relegated because we can win more games in the CCC, never mind the fact that we are much higher up the league this year and Allardyce is ruining the West Ham way. Against that there is the belief that results in the PL are incomparably more important than winning the cup, every place we finish up the table is an achievement, relegation would be a total disaster and players like Nolan are crucial elements of team spirit. It is possible I am in a very small minority in agreeing with Hodgson that Mascherano is at least as important to a club's success as Ronaldo or Messi. But we are where we are because of Nolan and the other BFS signings not despite it.