Nolan's plea for unity

9:20am Monday 7th May 2007

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KEVIN Nolan has made an impassioned plea for unity at the Reebok in the wake of Sam Allardyce's departure.

The Wanderers captain has responded angrily to almost daily speculation that star players will follow the former manager out of the exit door and has called on supporters to rally to the cause and pack the Reebok for next Sunday's crucial final game against Aston Villa.

Victory for the Whites will secure UEFA Cup qualification and, although Nolan is confident the season will end on a high, he believes the fans can play a vital part.

But his biggest concern is that repeated rumours of players wanting to get away is threatening the stability and continuity of purpose new manager Sammy Lee is aiming to instil.

Nicolas Anelka has repeatedly been tipped to be a summer target for Italian giants, Juventus.

There have also been reports quoting El-Hadji Diouf saying he knows clubs in Germany, Italy, Spain and France are interested in signing him while reports in Spain claim Ivan Campo will join Athletic Bilbao this summer. Nolan has even found his own name touted in the tabloids with reports claiming he has been offered for sale at £5million.

But he responded with an emotional appeal for calm after Lee's reign as manager got off to a disappointing start at West Ham on Saturday.

"A lot of people have been speculating that I am leaving and that there are three or four other players leaving, and it's not very nice to hear," Nolan said reacting to the 3-1 defeat left Wanderers still needing a win to be sure of qualifying for Europe.

"I don't like hearing that people are talking about wanting to leave. If they want to leave then keep it quiet and, when they want to go, just go.

"It's not nice for Sammy, it's not nice for the players and it disrupts the dressing room. I'd like to hear them saying it, because, if I did, I'd pin them up myself.

"But I don't think anyone has said it. I know the lads and I'm sure the lads will stick together.

"We all want to be celebrating Europe and I'm sure every player who gets us into Europe is going to want to be here next season."

Nolan was hit harder than most by the departure of sional career. Allardyce, the only manager he has played for in his professional career. But he says, if he is keen to put the disappointment behind him, so should others.

"Big Sam was like a father figure to me," he said. "But that's gone now and I've got to get over it. Sammy's been absolutely fantastic with me, ever since he came into the club. I know he can do as good a job as Sam Allardyce has done and, hopefully, keep us going in the right direction, forward.

"Things change and you have to get over these things and I'm sure we all will.

"It's going to take time but it's not about Big Sam and me or our relationship with the old gaffer, it's about our relationship with the new gaffer and, since Sammy Lee has come in, it's been fantastic.

"He's handled it really well. It's a tough job to fill but I think he can do it and I'm 110 per cent behind him."

Wanderers missed the chance to secure their European qualification at a highly-charged Upton Park. But, with Portsmouth and Reading losing, they know their destiny is in their own hands and a win over Aston Villa will guarantee a UEFA Cup place.

Nolan is confident they can end the season on a high but says a packed Reebok will be a major boost.

"Hopefully, we can get 28,000 there on Sunday because we're going to need our 12th man," he added.

"We want to see that support behind us and we want to show them why we deserve to be in Europe. This is going to be like a cup final for us.

"We should have been home and dry by now and had the cigars out, but it hasn't worked out that way.

"We will get there, though, and a lot of it will be down to Big Sam. But he's gone now and we've got to forget about him. It's all about us now with Sammy Lee as the figurehead of our club."

El-Hadji Diouf and Nicky Hunt are ruled out of the Villa game with injury, Diouf failing to recover from a hamstring injury and Hunt still struggling with a calf strain.

Abdoulaye Faye has recovered from an infected toe which has kept him out of the last three games.