Kevin Nolan facts for kids
Nolan coaching West Ham United in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 June 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Northampton Town (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Bolton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2009 | Bolton Wanderers | 296 | (40) |
| 2009–2011 | Newcastle United | 85 | (29) |
| 2011–2015 | West Ham United | 141 | (30) |
| 2016 | Leyton Orient | 14 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Notts County | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 536 | (99) | |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2004 | England U21 | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2016 | Leyton Orient | ||
| 2017–2018 | Notts County | ||
| 2024– | Northampton Town | ||
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Kevin Anthony Jance Nolan (born on June 24, 1982) is a former English professional footballer and coach. He is currently the manager of Northampton Town. Kevin also played for the England Under-21 team.
Kevin grew up in Toxteth, Liverpool. He joined Bolton Wanderers when he was 16. He helped Bolton get promoted to the Premier League in 2001. He quickly became a key player for the team. Kevin scored important goals, including two against Manchester United at their home stadium, Old Trafford. These goals helped Bolton finish in the top half of the Premier League table.
Nolan also helped Bolton qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time. They even reached the knockout stages of the competition. After Jay-Jay Okocha left in 2006, Kevin became the team's captain. He led the team to qualify for the UEFA Cup again.
In 2009, Kevin moved to Newcastle United. The team was relegated to the Championship that season. However, Kevin played amazingly the next season, scoring 18 goals. He even scored his first hat-trick! His efforts helped Newcastle win the Championship and return to the Premier League. After this success, Kevin was made captain of Newcastle United.
In 2011, Kevin joined West Ham United. He became captain there too and helped them get promoted back to the Premier League right away. Kevin left West Ham in 2015. He later became a player-manager for Leyton Orient and then Notts County.
Contents
Kevin Nolan's Football Journey
Early Life and Dreams
Kevin Nolan was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, on June 24, 1982. He grew up in Toxteth in a family that loved football. From a young age, Kevin dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. He went to Liverpool Blue Coat School. In 1996, he played for the City of Liverpool's schoolboys team. Even though he supported Celtic and Liverpool, his favorite players were Eric Cantona and Lee Sharpe from Manchester United.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Bolton Wanderers
A friend invited Kevin to a training session for the Bolton Wanderers youth team. Soon after, he was signed by the club. At 16, he got a yearly contract. A year later, he signed his first professional contract and played his first game for the senior team. He played the whole match when Bolton beat Preston North End in the First Division play-off. This win meant Bolton was promoted to the Premier League.
In his first Premier League season (2001–02), Kevin scored eight league goals. This included two goals against Leicester City on the first day. He also scored Bolton's first goal in their 2–1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The next season, he scored the winning goal at Old Trafford again, helping Bolton win 1–0. The manager of Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, was even said to be watching Nolan.
In the 2003–04 season, Kevin scored 12 goals in all competitions, which was his best record yet. These goals helped Bolton finish eighth in the league, their highest position in over forty years. He also scored in the League Cup semi-finals, where Bolton beat Aston Villa 5–2. Bolton reached the final but lost 2–1 to Middlesbrough.
The next season, Kevin helped Bolton reach the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history. They made it to the last 32 of the UEFA Cup the following season. Kevin scored a goal against Lokomotiv Plovdiv to help them reach the group stages. He also scored the winning goal against Zenit St. Petersburg.
In the 2006–07 season, Kevin became the club captain after Jay-Jay Okocha left. His goals helped Bolton qualify for the UEFA Cup again. Kevin's long throw-in helped Bolton get a 2–2 draw against German champions Bayern Munich. Bolton finished 16th in the league that season, just above the relegation zone. Kevin scored in the 2–0 win over Sunderland in May, which helped secure their Premier League spot.
In January 2009, after playing 323 league games for Bolton, Kevin started talking to Newcastle United about a move. Some Bolton fans had been criticizing his performance.
Moving to Newcastle United
On January 29, 2009, Newcastle agreed to pay £4 million for Kevin Nolan. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. On February 22, Kevin received his first red card for Newcastle against Everton. At the end of that season, Newcastle was relegated to the Championship. Kevin was one of the players who spoke out, asking for an end to the club's off-field problems. He wanted the team to focus on getting back to the Premier League.
Kevin was very important in Newcastle's push for promotion the next season. He scored his first league goal for Newcastle on August 22 against Crystal Palace. He also scored his first career hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Ipswich Town on September 26.
Kevin captained Newcastle for the first time in a 5–1 win against Cardiff City. He scored his 11th league goal of the season against Preston North End in a 3–0 win. He was named the Championship Player of the Year on March 16. On April 5, 2010, Newcastle United secured promotion back to the Premier League. Kevin scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win over Sheffield United.
Kevin was named the new Newcastle United club captain for the 2010–11 season. He scored his first goals of the season with two goals in Newcastle's 6–0 win against Aston Villa. On October 31, 2010, Kevin scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 5–1 win against Sunderland. He scored his 50th Premier League goal against his old club, Bolton Wanderers, on February 26, 2011.
Captaining West Ham United
West Ham signed Kevin Nolan on June 16, 2011, on a five-year contract. He was immediately made captain. His first league game for West Ham was on August 7, 2011. He scored his first goal for West Ham on August 13, 2011, in a 1–0 win against Doncaster Rovers. On May 7, 2012, Kevin scored his thirteenth goal for the club against Cardiff City. This helped West Ham reach the play-off final at Wembley. On May 19, 2012, he captained West Ham in the 2012 Championship play-off final against Blackpool. West Ham won 2–1 and returned to the Premier League.
Kevin continued his great form into the 2012–13 season. He scored his first goal of the season on the opening day against Aston Villa. On September 1, he scored within one minute in a 3–0 win against Fulham. On April 20, 2013, Kevin scored his 100th career goal in a 2–0 win against Wigan Athletic. He finished the 2012–13 season by scoring his second Premier League hat-trick in a 4–2 win against Reading. This meant he had scored 10 league goals in a season for the fourth year in a row.
In the 2013–14 season, Kevin scored in the first game again. West Ham struggled in the first half of the season. Kevin was sent off twice in December 2013 and January 2014. He was fined by West Ham, and his manager, Sam Allardyce, thought about taking away his captaincy. Despite this, Kevin was West Ham's top scorer for the 2013–14 season.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Kevin played in the first game. However, he fractured his shoulder in training before the second game. This injury kept him out for at least six weeks. Kevin played 29 games that season but only scored one goal. Some West Ham fans criticized his performances.
His last game for West Ham was on August 22, 2015. Five days later, Kevin left West Ham United by agreement after four years. He had played 157 games for West Ham and scored 31 goals.
Player-Manager Roles
On January 21, 2016, Kevin Nolan became the player-manager of Leyton Orient. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal. Two days later, his team won his first match as manager, 2–0 against Wycombe Wanderers. On January 26, he made his playing debut for Orient. He came on as a substitute and helped his team win a penalty kick, which led to the only goal of the game.
Kevin's Orient team won three of their four league games in his first full month as manager. He was nominated for the Manager of the Month award. On April 12, 2016, Kevin was removed from his managerial duties at Orient. He left the club completely on July 6.
On January 12, 2017, Kevin was appointed manager of Notts County. The team had lost their last ten matches and was close to the relegation zone in League Two. In his first game, Notts County drew 0–0 with Mansfield Town. Kevin also registered as a player, but he did not play any games for Notts County. Under his management, the team avoided relegation.
On September 20, 2017, with Notts County in second place in League Two, Kevin signed a new three-year contract. He also won the EFL League Two Manager of the Month award. On August 26, 2018, Kevin was dismissed as manager of Notts County after a six-game winless streak.
Coaching and International Calls
In February 2020, Kevin Nolan was appointed as a first team coach at West Ham United. He left the club in May 2024 when the manager, David Moyes, departed.
In August 2024, Kevin became the interim assistant head coach for the England Under-20 team. He supported Paul Nevin, whom he had coached with at West Ham.
Kevin has been called up to the England Under-18s and Under-21s. Some people thought he might play for the senior England team. There were also reports that he could play for the Republic of Ireland or Netherlands because of his family background.
On November 12, 2012, Kevin said he was sad that England managers often overlooked him. He held the record for the most Premier League appearances without playing for the senior England team (401 appearances). However, his former West Ham teammate, Mark Noble, has since broken this record.
Personal Life
Kevin Nolan got engaged in 2005 and married his fiancée Hayley in the summer of 2008. They had their first child, a daughter, in November 2006. Their second child, a son, was born in January 2010.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 1999–2000 | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | First Division | 31 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 35 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 8 | |||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 37 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 44 | 12 | |||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 36 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 4 | |||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 36 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 48 | 11 | ||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 5 | |||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 296 | 40 | 20 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 345 | 50 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2008–09 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Championship | 44 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 48 | 18 | |||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 30 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 12 | |||
| Total | 85 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 91 | 30 | ||||
| West Ham United | 2011–12 | Championship | 42 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | 46 | 13 | |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 35 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 10 | |||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 141 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 157 | 31 | ||
| Leyton Orient | 2015–16 | League Two | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Notts County | 2016–17 | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 536 | 99 | 29 | 4 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 607 | 111 | ||
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Leyton Orient | 21 January 2016 | 12 April 2016 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 46.7 | |
| Notts County | 12 January 2017 | 26 August 2018 | 84 | 35 | 23 | 26 | 41.7 | |
| Northampton Town | 23 December 2024 | present | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16.7 | |
| Total | 105 | 43 | 28 | 34 | 41.0 | |||
Achievements and Awards
As a player
- Bolton Wanderers
- Football League First Division play-offs: 2001
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2003–04
- Newcastle United
- Football League Championship: 2009–10
- West Ham United
- Football League Championship play-offs: 2012
- Individual Awards
- Premier League Player of the Month: February 2006
- Football League Championship Player of the Year: 2009–10
- PFA Team of the Year (Football League Championship): 2009–10
- Football League Championship Player of the Month: April 2010
As a manager
- Individual Awards
- EFL League Two Manager of the Month: September 2017
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Nolan para niños
