Alan Hardy eager to foster stability at Notts County with long-term Kevin Nolan tenure

Alan Hardy has expressed his hopes of having Kevin Nolan at Notts County for the long term as part of the team's journey out of the fourth tier and into the upper echelons of the Football League.

His comments come in the wake of Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer claiming that Nolan would not remain at Meadow Lane for long should the Magpies be promoted from League Two.

In addition, a Press Association Sport study found that, when it comes to managerial changes over the past 20 years, Notts top the standings.

In his weekly Nottingham Post column, Hardy wrote: "As chairman, I hope Kevin is our manager for years to come given the outstanding job he has done and how he has settled into life at Meadow Lane.

"It would be extremely foolish of me to think that other clubs would not sit up and take notice of him because what he has done here has truly been remarkable.

"I have always said he is a Premier League manager in the making because he has this uncanny ability to relate to his players.

"And, while I would love to keep him here under lock and key at Meadow Lane, there is going to be a day when a big club comes calling.

"I’ve already told him that, should such a situation arise, then I would not stand in his way because who am I to deny him what would be a fantastic opportunity?

"I’ve no doubt he can go on to reach the very top level but, in saying that, we are on a journey together which is why I decided to hand him a new contract.

"Stability is incredibly important at this football club and it seems ironic we are talking about this in a week when the hiring and firing culture hit the headlines.

"According to a Press Association study, which looked at managerial changes over the last 20 years, we came top of the table with 23.

"I don’t think I am speaking out of turn here by saying this is not a league table for us to be shouting from the rooftops about.

"We all know that having a revolving door in terms of players and managers does more harm than good, and that’s something I recognised before I even bought the club.

"As chairman I have a responsibility to stop a revolving door policy and I think you can see that what I want to achieve with Kevin is no short-term plan.

"It is very much for the long-term and it is essential we have continuity and, more importantly, stability.

"As the study proved, clubs who change their manager constantly very rarely encounter success. And it is success we want here at Notts County."

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