Kevin Nolan will be back at St James’ Park in April, but in a totally new role.
The former Newcastle skipper has returned to coaching, joining David Moyes’ backroom staff at West Ham.
Nolan’s venture into coaching hasn’t quite gone to plan so far, but the Hammers have offered their former player his first opportunity in the Premier League.
In 2016 he became player-manager at Leyton Orient, but was relieved of his duties three months later despite a bright start.
After that, he took over at Notts County. He lasted much longer at Meadow Lane, but was sacked in August 2018 after a poor start to his second full season in charge.
Since then, Nolan has moved from coach to pundit. The ex-midfielder has often appeared on TalkSPORT, where he actually stood up for Mike Ashley. This turned a lot of fans against their former hero, who was once hailed on Tyneside for his goals against Sunderland.
Newcastle are yet to play West Ham at home this season, so Nolan will get a chance to return to St James’ Park and sit in the opposition dugout.
His presence probably won’t be noticed by Toon fans, but maybe Ashley will invite him in for a glass of wine after the game.
Who knows, if Nolan proves himself as a coach at West Ham, Ashley might want him as the Magpies’ next manager after Steve Bruce…
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