You know how I love a section on former Imps, and here is a story on the player who sparked this entire site.
Back in early 2016, I wrote an article about Jon Nolan being a good signing for Grimsby after leaving the Imps. I tipped him for a big career in the game, and it has come to pass. Nolan won promotion with Grimsby, impressed at Chesterfield and eventually saw defeat at Wembley against the Imps as his Shrewsbury side rode high.
He later joined Ipswich Town and played Championship football, and last crossed our path as he wandered off down the tunnel in disgrace, dismissed as we beat them 1-0 earlier in the season. It seems his somewhat volatile attitude has now cost him his first-team squad place at Ipswich.
To be fair to Nolan, he has become something of a pantomime villain at Sincil Bank, a role he plays well. a move to Grimsby and promotion was enough to leave a bad taste, as was him almost demanding a loan spell away from the club when his best mate was at Wrexham. A friend of mine who supports Grimsby was a match sponsor in their 1-0 defeat against Danny Cowley’s Braintree back in 2016, and Nolan won Man of the Match. My friend was angry because Nolan was surly, sullen and moody, refusing to smile for photos. I can understand that his side had lost 1-0, but it played into the themes of him being a miserable little so-and-so.
The latest news on the midfielder is that he has been banished to Ipswich’s Under 23 side, training with the kids, after falling out with belligerent manager Paul Lambert. From what I can gather, Lambert asked Nolan to travel to a recent fixture away at Crewe, then when he arrived told him he wasn’t part of the 18. It seems that led to Nolan telling Lambert he could have been at home with his wife and kids, something Lambert has now claimed is a ‘let down’, and reason to send him off to the stiffs.
It hasn’t been confirmed officially that Nolan is the player in question, but Blues boss Lambert said: “I won’t have any player come to me and say to me that they’d rather be home with their wife and kids. If that’s your mentality you’re better doing it. What do we do? Let people play when they want to play? I need players that are going to die for here.”
Nolan isn’t the only senior player to be banished from the squad, Kayden Jackson is there too after being blasted for his red card as Ipswich lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the end of January. However, Jackson was suspended for the trip to Crewe, as it came just four days after his red card, and therefore he wouldn’t have travelled anyway.
It is understood that rather than face up to Lambert at the game, he waited until Monday to do it in training, but when he questioned the manager he was told to find a new club and sent off to the reserves. It is also thought Ipswich rebuffed offers for him in the transfer window, with Peterborough, Rotherham and Wigan all keen.
Ipswich are a club that really should be higher in the division, even if there is some dissent in the ranks. Surely, as I predicted earlier in the season, it must be time they had a think about Paul Lambert as their boss? I suppose as Lincoln fans it really doesn’t matter to us, nor does the fate of Jon Nolan, but from a League One promotion hunt view, it is comforting to see a team that should be a major threat on the point of implosion. Their fans have even taken to protesting outside the training ground with flares, the situation has got so bad!
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