Jump to content

Kevin Nolan has launched an astonishing tirade against the Notts County online community and social media, calling on "some people" to "have a reality check".

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Magpies' trip to Carlisle United on Saturday, the manager aired his grievances about what he felt were knee-jerk reactions from fans.

β€œThere’s a lot said about us that is very untrue,” Nolan is quoted by the Nottingham Post as saying. β€œBut I only hear it because I am not on these sites. I only hear it from my staff or the players.

β€œIf they don’t want to see winning football, then don’t come to Notts County because that’s what we are trying to do.

β€œFor people to be complaining how we play given the club has lost one home game in a calendar year, then there’s not much you can do.

β€œWe only won three games in the previous calendar year compared to what we’ve done now so some people have got to have a reality check and look at themselves in the mirror if they are criticising.”

Last week, Pride of Nottingham published photos which were sent in by a fan which appeared to show Liam Noble in training at Basford - Notts subsequently announced that the midfielder had rejoined the club.

Despite the training sessions being open and accessible to supporters, Nolan continued his tirade, criticising the individual who took the photos.

β€œLet’s take last week for instance,” Nolan said.

β€œLiam Noble comes and trains with us for the first day and somebody turns up, and the next minute the pictures are on the internet within an hour or two.

β€œThat would never have happened a few years ago. But they didn’t know what was going on yet still wanted to put something out there.

β€œI couldn’t believe it when I saw it. That person, because we know who it is, will come back to training ground and then want us to respect him and not tell him to go away.

β€œWhen he asks the players for selfies what does he expect them to say?

β€œThere has got to be respect for us as much as we have got to have respect for them.

β€œThey will all expect us to say β€˜yeah, no problem you can have your photograph’.

β€œAnd that’s my biggest issue with social media. People will come and ask for your picture, then they will sit there on Twitter or whatever, type something, and have a rant.

β€œYou only have to look at Arsenal Fan TV to see how it gets millions and millions of viewers.

β€œIt’s crazy. It makes headlines in the papers and it’s just taken over. It’s something as a manager I have to deal with and all I can ask of the fans is to be respectful.

β€œA lot of my family are on social media so how is it going to feel for them to see something written about me. It’s hurtful for them and that’s what people have got to realise.”

Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

Member Feedback

Recommended Comments

Being respectful works both ways, having pops at fans for expressing their opinions on social media needs to be allowed - if you don't allow people to vent then its going to build up. I do feel fans could be a little more optimistic, yet labelling 'every' fan who shares a comment that isn't rosy doesn't mean they're a negative fan.

I can't believe he's suggesting we don't need fans.

Quote

β€œIf they don’t want to see winning football, then don’t come to Notts County because that’s what we are trying to do."

Majority of fans just want to see Notts succeeding and giving a proper go of games, Mansfield, FGR and Crewe have all been poor but the majority are still open to acknowledging how well we are doing.

And the Liam Noble story was always going to break, just because a fan shared the picture (which seems harmless) - after all he was training with the club, how can this be compared to Arsenal fan tv? Clearly pressure is mounting and its borderline silly.

Surely it's the type of thing that the Nottingham Post would be doing if they had balls?

The comments about the fans and the Liam Noble pictures have me thinking Kevin Nolan has lost it. The club has bigger focuses right now, did he think the story would be hidden until he had signed?

Natty

Members

I had a bit of a go in my comments after the Crewe game, regarding the long ball game which clearly wasn't working. Crewe were expecting Stead and Ameobi to start, and had set their stall out accordingly, so constant long high balls aimed towards Forte and Alessandra were easy for Crewe to deal with. It was frustrating to watch.Β  Kevin Nolan might not like the criticism but I pay my money toΒ travel up and down the country to cheer the team on, so I reserve the right to have a moan if I'm not happy with what I've seen.Β Β 

What's the problem with an opinion that's not what anyone might like to hear , fans are entitled to a view on the things they see , think with this not being the first time that club personnel have had a pop at opinion it's time to stop being touchy on there part, and just get on with the job , they don't need silly distractions just keep up the good work and leave social media opinions where they are , COYPΒ 

BradtheMiller

Members

Nolan is way off the mark with his comments. Fans pay the manager & players salaries so therefore deserve to have an opinion, good or bad.

upthepies

Members
Quote

And that’s my biggest issue with social media. People will come and ask for your picture, then they will sit there on Twitter or whatever, type something, and have a rant.

What does this have anything to do with it? He's clearly having a dig at someone but I feel he is completely wrong.

I read a lot of comments on social media about this, have any read the article?

Northants Pie

Members
(edited)

He (Nolan) has lost a lot of respect for what heΒ said.

Whilst yes I get the annoyanceΒ the picture of Noble did / might have caused the fact that as fans we want to see more than just boring hoof ball we are in the wrong.

If he actually read most of the comments on social media (i'm only on this website but could imagine the rest) he would realise that as fans we are more than happy with our position and the remarkable turn around but because we want to see something other than boring old hoof it into the clouds he has a problem.

Football is an entertainment industry and if he can't respect that we want to be enertained with some good football that we know theyΒ are capable of then he shouldn'tΒ say anything about it.

We want him to be our manager for the long term and love whatΒ he has done but please accept that we want to see something different, especially now that opposing teams know what to expect.

Β 

Edited by Northants Pie

Opinions are part of the game! It might be annoying to KN as he feels his authority is being questioned, but everyone who watches their team play thinks about how it could be set up better or which players should be picked.

As for the Noble photos, he was taking part in a training session in a public place with members of the public in attendance. If it was supposed to be a secret it was mishandled, if it wasn't then he's got nothing to complain about.

At the end of the day fans will exchange their views, some of them knowledgeable, some not. That used to happen in person or in the Football Post or Match Talk. Now it's increasingly happening online but it really isn't anything new.

17 minutes ago, DangerousSausage said:

As for the Noble photos, he was taking part in a training session in a public place with members of the public in attendance. If it was supposed to be a secret it was mishandled, if it wasn't then he's got nothing to complain about.

I fail to see how there's anything to complain about.

If the club did not want pictures to be leaked of players then its for them to put in measures to prevent this from happening in my opinion. Nolan lost his head when he should have been talking about the upcoming game against Carlisle and I do feel he should apologise properly.

Lozzle1

Members

I'm a little late to this discussion, but...

1.Β  Β 'Fans', rightly or wrongly, will ALWAYS have an opinion when they watch matchesΒ that their hard-earned money has paid for.

2.Β  Β It's actually very naive of anyone to think it will, or should be, any other way when the 'entertainment' one is paying for, isn't up to scratch.

3.Β  Β Whilst the atmosphere at Meadow Lane this season has been absolute magic, it cannot have gone unnoticed by anyone that there have beenΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  some below-parΒ matches where hoof balls were a) constantly played and b)Β constantly missed; c) where opposing team players beat us (fairlyΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  and squarely) onΒ theΒ run;Β d) where some of us have wondered - against cracking opposition - how the heck we remain top three in the leagueΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  and e) moreover,Β justΒ how long this phenomenon can be maintained when the fella 'in charge' openly admits his players 'didn't turn up' for theΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  games we've lost or drawn.

4.Β  Β The 'big deal' about pics posted of Nolan training with hisΒ team is beyond me! As a former PI, it's not rocket science to expect anything needingΒ  Β  Β  Β  to be 'kept under wraps' should never have been conducted in a public place...so more naivety with that comment, I'm afraid.

5.Β  Β I don't know if these comments by the Manager are an effort to a) stop his decisions being undermined online or b) if he genuinely believes thatΒ  Β  Β  Β  ticket-paying fans (some of us for going on nearly 50 years - with all of the changes, mismanagement, disappointments, downs, upsΒ and totalΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  shiz - THATΒ hasΒ brought upon us as NCFC supporters), then he needs to rethink. Not only that, but he needs to be a lot more respectful of theΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  fact that for a lot of us, success (as supporters) has been little, irrelevant of how much money and years of time, WEΒ have 'invested' in this club.

6.Β  Β Whilst I fully respect and appreciate what he's currently doing for NCFC, I'm afraidΒ it'll be quite a while before I 'forget' this article.

Create an account or sign in to comment

Important Information

Pride of Nottingham uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To approve, simply continue using the site or click 'I accept' Terms of Use.