Jon Nolan

There you have it. Nolan was gash, the stats prove it.

Just because he hasn’t re-signed for us, I don’t understand why that means people have to try and convince themselves he wasn’t any good. You only have to have watched us during that season to see the clear quality he had, on the ball he was one of the best midfielders I’ve seen at Town in the last 10 years.

Having said that, I agree with people regarding his injury concerns, I think his best days are probably behind him. But let’s not pretend he was rubbish before.

Quoted from chaos33

I mean, that’s mostly cobblers, but what do you mean by ‘he is completely unlikeable’?!

Unlike not unlikeable but autocorrect or my fat fingers changed it

Unlike the Andrews or fox transfers

Rumour has it he’s a very nice human.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Jon Nolan started 17 league games in 2015/16...
Won 7 (41.2%)
Drew 4
Lost 6 (35.5%)
For 23
Against 22
Goal Difference +1 (+0.059 per game)
Points 25 (1.471 per game)

The other 29 league games in 2015/16...
Won 15 (51.7%)
Drew 10
Lost 4 (13.8%)
For 59
Against 23
Goal Difference +36 (+1.24 per game)
Points 55 (1.897 per game)

Pretty conclusive that Nolan weakened us when he joined and was put in the team.

Craig Clay started 29 league games in 2015/16...
Won 15 (51.7%)
Drew 8
Lost 6 (20.7%)
For 56
Against 25
Goal Difference +31
Points 53 (1.828 per game)

The 17 league games he didn't start in 2015/16...
Won 7 (41.2%)
Drew 6
Lost 4 (23.5%)
For 26
Against 20
Goal Difference +6
Points 27 (1.588 per game)

And similarly conclusive that Craig Clay strengthened us when he started.

And let's not forget Craig Clay coming in for the injured Monkhouse for the Play-off Semi-Final 2nd Leg & Final saw us overturn the 1st Leg deficit and win promotion.

Thanks golly as that has genuinely saved me a job and confirms what I felt, however good he seemed to be as an individual as a team we were weaker for his inclusion. And that includes the final tranmere game which we didn't even try to win (Warrington in Goal etc) as a non Jon Nolan game which mildly skews the figures in his favour.

I couldn't tell you exactly why we were better with Clay in the middle than Nolan but we were. Presumably the off the ball work, closing down, tackling etc. I also thought he improved us at first, I saw him in I think his first game for us at gateshead (god it was so cold) and he seemed to run the match. We lost 1-0. Eventually I realised the appearance of good individual performances from him didn't necessarily translate into good team results. Nolan definitely had ability, not saying he didn't, but he is massively over rated as to his contribution that season by most on here.

And that was a young and fit Nolan, no way would I want to take that risk on him now.

If stats alone are going to determine who is a good player and who is not, then we might as well stop watching football and just look at the stats after the game.

Nolan was a quality player, especially at conference level. I saw that with my own eyes and no stats (which don't take into account all the many variables and above all else the fact that it's a bloody team sport) are going to tell me otherwise.

^ Aye. I imagine a chunk of Nolan's games coincided with us having Pat Hoban up front.

The career paths of Nolan and Clay after they left us tell what the stats don't.

Quoted from Abdul19

^ Aye. I imagine a chunk of Nolan's games coincided with us having Pat Hoban up front.

I call your pat hoban and raise you a chunk of non Jon Nolan games having Ben Tomlinson up front!

Quoted from ginnywings

The career paths of Nolan and Clay after they left us tell what the stats don't.

Nolan hasn’t played central midfield since 2016/17 when he was part of Chesterfield’s relegation team.

At Shrewsbury Hurst played him as the attacking midfielder/McAtee role in a 4-4-1-1. Hurst had learned from his mistake at Town and didn’t attempt to play him in a central midfield 2.