Breaking: Cobblers appoint former West Ham and Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan as new manager
Cobblers have appointed Kevin Nolan as their new manager on a two-and-a-half year contract
Nolan took training for the first time on Monday morning and will be in charge for Town’s trip to Reading on Boxing Day, with caretaker boss Ian Sampson going back to his coaching role alongside Marc Richards and James Alger.
The former Bolton Wanderers, West Ham and Newcastle United captain, who made over 400 appearances in the Premier League and scored 69 top flight goals, returns to management six years after his last job.
After a successful playing career, the 42-year-old ex-midfielder was appointed player-manager of Leyton Orient in 2016, winning seven of his 15 games in charge before leaving the club. He then replaced the sacked John Sheridan as Notts County boss in January 2017. He won 35 of his 84 matches at Meadow Lane and oversaw an impressive turnaround as he steered the Magpies away from relegation danger in his first season before leading them to the play-offs the following season.
Nolan was appointed West Ham first-team coach in 2020 and spent four years at the club before leaving alongside David Moyes last summer. He then had a stint as interim assistant head coach of the England U20 team, supporting Paul Nevin.