Kewell: Suitable Replacement for Nolan?

Fans were divided when Kevin Nolan was sacked as Notts County manager. Many fans believed he should have been given more time to turn things around at the club following a winless run of 6 games with many saying it is the players to blame as opposed to Nolan himself. But there were also fans suggesting it wasn't just the start of the season that was the tipping point it has been the clubs poor run of results since Christmas. 

Kevin Nolan guided Notts County to the Play-Offs last season, only to lose in the semi-finals to eventual Play-Off winners Coventry City. Following on from Kevin Nolan's sacking, vice-chairman Darren Fletcher has stepped down from his role. During an interview, Kevin Nolan suggested that he had the boards backing days before he was sacked and telling the media that he wanted to retain players from last season but was unable to do so due to making funds available to improve the squad. Alan Hardy then had an interview a few hours later stating it was a unanimous decision to sack Nolan following the defeat to Lincoln City. 

Since the sacking of Nolan, there was much speculation of who would be the next manager. Neal Ardley and Harry Kewell were the main names linked with taking over the reigns at the club. Fans gave their opinions on who it should be with many wanting Darren Ferguson or Gary Bowyer, with plenty of experience, to take charge of the club and hope to turn the clubs fortunes around. Harry Kewell became the front runner for the job but Crawley slapped a hefty price tag for Notts to pay to take him away from Crawley Town, which is speculated to be in the region of £400k. This put much doubt on Harry Kewell taking over, with reports suggesting that if Notts didn't want to meet the demands by Crawley they would then approach Neal Ardley.

On August 31st, Harry Kewell was confirmed as the new manager of Notts County bringing Warren Feeney with him as assistant manager. There is no doubt that as a player Harry Kewell was one of the best players in the Premier League in the early 2000s as part of the 'Golden Generation' of Leeds United. It was his move to Liverpool that proved a downfall for his career following an injury prone stay at the Merseyside Club. 

Harry Kewell started his management career as head coach of Watfords under-21s team in 2015 but was sacked in 2017 following poor results. A month later, he became manager of League Two Crawley Town, his first taste as manager in league football. Kewell managed Crawley Town for 57 games boasting a win rate of 37.5%. But fans have had their say and many believe it could be a great appointment with his style of play, the record for a club with limited resources. Fans also point to last season when Notts played Crawley with how he sets up his sides. 

We all know how Harry Kewell was as a player, we have had a small view of how he is as a manager but only time will tell if he will succeed at a club that was predicted to be riding high at the start of the season. Rob Milsom has also rejoined Notts, coming with Kewell from Crawley, months after leaving Meadow Lane. But was this one of the players Nolan was hinting at that he wanted to keep from last season but had his hands tied as to the letting go? Is the reported £400k compensation pay too much to be spending on an inexperienced manager? The only thing that is for sure is, we need to give Kewell the backing he needs to make a success for this club. Let's hope he can turn the fortunes around and help the team progress and end the slump we've been on.