In a move that surprised few amid Northampton Town's alarming slide, the League One club has parted ways with manager Kevin Nolan just 15 months into his tenure. The 43-year-old, a former West Ham United player and first-team coach, was dismissed on Monday following a dismal run of just one win in 16 league matches, leaving the Cobblers teetering on the brink of relegation to League Two.
Last month GSH reported about the struggles at his club, so this latest news isn't a surprise. His exit comes with Northampton languishing in 23rd place in the table, three points adrift of safety and with only 10 games remaining. The team has managed a meagre 31 goals in 36 matches this season – the second-lowest tally in the division – and suffered a 1-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon on Sunday, which proved to be the final straw.
Nolan's Journey
A Liverpool-born midfielder, Nolan enjoyed a stellar playing career that included stints at Bolton Wanderers (where he was captain), Newcastle United, and notably West Ham United. Joining the Hammers in 2011 under Sam Allardyce, he quickly became a fan favourite, captaining the side to promotion via the Championship play-offs and scoring crucial goals, including a hat-trick against Reading in the Premier League. Across 157 appearances for West Ham, he netted 31 times before departing by mutual consent in 2015.
After hanging up his boots, Nolan transitioned into coaching, returning to West Ham in 2020 as a first-team coach under David Moyes. He spent four years on the staff, contributing to the club's stability in the Premier League, before a brief spell as assistant head coach with England's Under-20s. His managerial experience included short stints at Leyton Orient (as player-manager) and Notts County, where he was sacked in 2018 after a winless run.
Nolan arrived at Sixfields in December 2024, replacing Jon Brady on a two-and-a-half-year deal. He inherited a side in mid-table and guided them to a respectable 19th-place finish last season, securing League One survival. This campaign started brightly, with the Cobblers climbing to 12th by Christmas Day after a strong mid-season surge.
However, the wheels came off dramatically post-Christmas. A run of nine winless games was briefly halted by a 3-1 victory over Stevenage on February 7, but Northampton have since failed to win again in the league. They were also eliminated from the EFL Trophy semi-finals by Luton Town. In total, Nolan oversaw 70 matches, winning 22, drawing 17, and losing 31.
'Grateful' but Necessary
Northampton chairman Kelvin Thomas praised Nolan's efforts in a statement: "We will always be grateful to Kevin for his hard work here. He helped keep us up last season and we enjoyed a strong first half of this season. But since Christmas, the sequence of performances and results have led us to believe a change is in the best interests of all concerned."
Technical director Colin Calderwood has stepped in as interim manager, assisted by Ian Sampson – both former Cobblers bosses. Calderwood, who led Northampton to promotion from League Two in 2006, returned to the club in January 2025. Sampson, a club legend with nearly 450 appearances as a player, managed from 2009 to 2011.
In his final interview as manager after Saturday's defeat to Stevenage, Nolan remained defiant: "We've got to scrap our way out of it – that's the only way you get out of these situations. The relentless schedule has been ridiculous, it has hurt us, affected us, but it's now up to us to fight our way out of it."
For Nolan, this marks the end of his latest managerial chapter. A cult figure among West Ham supporters for his leadership and goalscoring prowess, he now faces an uncertain future. At 43, with a wealth of experience both on the pitch and in the dugout, he remains a viable candidate for another EFL role – though survival at Northampton might have altered that trajectory.