Kevin Nolan reveals 'regrets' from his time in charge of Cobblers
Former Cobblers manager Kevin Nolan has revealed he has ‘regrets’ from his time in charge at Sixfields.
The former Bolton, West Ham and Newcastle captain replaced Jon Brady in December 2024 and guided Cobblers to League One survival that season, but lost his job last March after a run of one win in 16.
Nolan, speaking exclusively to the Northampton Chronicle and Echo via BettingLounge this week, said: “There are obviously regrets about what happened with Northampton, it was gutting to lose my job but we were up against it and I don’t think we managed expectations well enough.
“As a manager, you obviously have regrets given what ultimately happened with Northampton. We were sitting 10th around early January when Ethan Wheatley was recalled from his loan by Manchester United.
“We knew he was leaving, so we had already done our work and identified a player we wanted to sign, but the deal wasn't sanctioned by the board. They didn't want to proceed due to financial constraints, and while I understood that at the time, I always had to work within those limitations.
“I wish I had been a bit tougher on that because I knew it was going to be difficult afterwards. Then we lost Tyrese Fornah and Cam McGeehan to injury, who were largely my front three for the first half of the season.
“They not only scored goals but contributed to a lot of the good football we played. To lose your front three after January was tough to take, and the lads who stepped in didn’t contribute as much in that part of the pitch as we did in the first half of the season.
“So, it was gutting to see that, and losing my job off the back of it was tough. We were always up against it and I knew that beforehand. But you have expectations and I don't think we managed those expectations as well as I could, although I tried to.
“People will point to the fact that we didn’t win in 16 games, but we were competitive in so many of those matches. As I said, losing my front three for the majority of the season made it incredibly tough for us.
“You even see clubs in the Premier League struggle when they lose their top goalscorers, so it's a difficult situation for any team to overcome. That’s where I stand now looking back at it.”
Nolan has not ruled out returning to the dugout in the future, adding: “I’d never say no to getting back into management, I haven’t lost my love for it.
“If the right opportunity arises and it suits, I’d consider it. I don't want to go in and be fighting fires all the time. I want a role where I can progress and become the manager I want to be.
“I haven’t lost my love for it, but I’m really enjoying this side (punditry) of things at the moment. I’m enjoying doing media work with Sky, podcasts, and radio. Let me tell you, it’s a lot less stressful!”