Who was more important this season?

Cheik Tiote or Kevin Nolan?

This isn't about who is a better player or who should feature next season, but who essentially kept us in the Premier League. I know Barton/Colo/Jose etc. all performed excellently but I want to know your opinion on these two..

On one hand Nolan was our top scorer, and without him we would had a much worse goal difference and less points without those vital goals. He scored many goals before the January transfer window shut, but afterwards he only scored less than half of what he had earlier in the season.

Tiote has been a much more consistent performer, but obviously playing in a much more defensive role and shutting down the opposition's attacks and playing it out to Barton or Guti. But I'm wondering if Tiote's excellent defensive work equalled Nolan's goals in terms of keeping us safe and out of the relegation zone.

What do you guys think? Which player would you have rather had last season?

 

Good question.

However i'm going to digress from the point for a second, forgive me.

My opinion is Barton and Nolan are the most vital players at the club at the moment. They are what held it together and they basically kept us up.

However, players like Cheik Tiote and Ben Arfa, are the type of players that will take the team a class higher. We survived on Nolan and Bartons efforts, but players like Cheik Tiote take our team and push it up to a higher level.

So most important, Barton and Nolan.

So to answer your question, Nolan. But Cheik Tiote is the player that raised our midfielders class a step higher, and Ben Arfa, Cabaye and who ever we sign, will raise our standard of play, to what i hope will be a top 10 finish next season.

 

The likes of Colo, Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Tiote were all equal in my eyes .

No player is as important as the team. However the team wouldn't have been the same without any of those players, not just in footballing ability but in spirit and mentality.

 

Tiote for me. Not to downplay Nolan's contribution because his goals were vital.

I just think that the effect that Tiote had on our overall gameplay and the performances he put in allowed Nolan, Barton and the others to play to their strengths and to perform as well as they did. But I think that other players playing in the same positions could well have done as well. But take Tiote out of the mix and I don't think we would have performed any where near as well as we did. He is the sort of player that gels a team and makes it play better than the sum of its parts.

 

Not sure. I'd say if we didn't have Nolan I think (with everything that's happened - Carroll, Hughton etc) we'd have been relegated, whereas if we didn't have Tiote we might have stayed up. But probably Tiote. Toughie though

 

Nolan.. Simples...

 

I agree with heavy metal toon, Barton and nolans efforts were brilliant and the type of people like tiote and Ben arfa give our team and other players in it, the ability to raise there game, apart from perch!

Both tiote and Nolan always put in a shift and do the respective team roles well, but I think Nolans goals, leadership and drive helped the team more, and banging in a hat trick against the mackems does him nee harm!!

 

Tiote by an absolute mile, for the reason that without Tiote, Nolan would have half as many goals. That's because the role Tiote played gave Nolan licence to roam further and further up the field, so no doubt in my mind, Tiote.

 

Good point

 

Nolan, I genuinely believe Guthrie could have come in and done a good job instead of Tiote, whereas nobody could have replaced the goals.

 

100% this. Completely agree.

 

This

 

Tiote Tiote Tiote
but
when we didnt have him we played ****, we could live without nolan but we'd stuggle without tiote