KEVIN Nolan knows exactly what it takes to lead a team out of the npower Championship at the first time of asking.

So when Sam Allardyce took on the task of guiding relegated West Ham back to the big time, his first move was to bring in the man who has been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.

Nolan will now attempt to reprise his role of two seasons ago, when he was captain of a similarly beleaguered Newcastle side who were tipped to keep plummeting but instead ended up roaring to the title.

The midfielder hit 12 Premier League goals last season, so his £4million switch back to the Championship came as a huge surprise.

A lucrative five-year contract, which will run out when he is 34, has no doubt softened the blow of dropping down a division.

However, the new Hammers captain is in no mood to hang around in the second tier and has already spelt out to his team-mates what to expect when the season kicks off with a televised Sunday afternoon visit from Cardiff.

He said: “You have to find out who is going to be ready for the fight because it is going to be a fight.

“It is going to be backs against the wall at times with people lumping balls into our box.

“Everybody has to raise their game because we are West Ham. We have to be ready for that.

“We have to make sure we are physically and mentally strong, so that when it comes to Cardiff we are ready and we can hit the ground running.”