Gold hails new Hammers signings

West Ham United co-owner David Gold has praised the new signings Sam Allardyce has made.

Former Blackburn chief Allardyce has managed to convince both Kevin Nolan and Matt Taylor to drop down from the Premier League this summer and, through his Twitter feed, Gold has lauded the two new arrivals.

"Just met Kevin Nolan and Matt Taylor at a training session at Upton Park. Big players with big personalities. Big Sam was also impressive," Gold tweeted.

Last season 29-year-old Nolan scored 12 league goals in 30 top-flight appearances for Newcastle, while Taylor cost £2.2 million from Allardyce's former club Bolton.

Taylor made 42 appearances for Owen Coyle's last season, but chose to drop down to the Championship to help the Hammers gain promotion back to the Premier League at the first chance.