The former Hibs and Scotland international has been set a key task in the EFL.
A former Hibs and Nottingham Forest boss has been tasked with saving an English League One club from relegation.
Colin Calderwood has been in temporary charge of Northampton Town since Kevin Nolan was sacked as head coach in early March, following a poor run of form. He is the club’s technical director and his side are eight points from safety with a game in hand on Exeter City, who sit two places above them in 21st, the third tier’s final spot of safety.
It’s been confirmed by chairman Kelvin Thomas that the Cobblers will stick with Calderwood until the end of the season. A Scotland international as a player, Calderwood starter his managerial career in Northampton, before becoming Nottingham Forest manager. He was there between 2006-2008 before just over a year at Hibs between 2010-2011, since coaching at the likes of Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Southampton before returning to Sixfields in 2025.
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What has happened at Northampton Town this season?
Smith said on form and the former Hibs and Nottingham Forest boss: "We have had a shocking few months on the pitch and we can't hide from that. We are all shocked at the slide, we know where we are as a club and where we are budget wise but we haven't over achieved this season and we haven't been able to arrest the slide over the last few months.
"We were looking in good shape at Christmas and I don't think anyone saw this coming. Losing Ethan Wheatley in January was a blow but I don't think that's the main reason for the slide. We would love to pinpoint the reasons, we have spent a lot of time discussing things internally since Christmas. It is hard to point to one issue but the plain fact is we haven't been good enough over the last few months.
"We are going through the process to appoint a new manager. When you make the decision for Kevin to leave, you hope it makes a difference results wise but so far, it hasn't. That changes the decision slightly because there are a couple of managers we have identified who are currently in jobs. With that in mind, the pool of managers gets bigger in the summer and it is a big decision what to do next.
Why is Colin Calderwood in charge at Northampton Town?
"With that in mind, we have decided that Colin and the staff will remain in place until the end of the season and then we'll have a few more options at the end of the season. At this point, with seven games to go, we have spoken to Colin and the challenge is to get as many points as we can in the last seven games. We are also realistic, and we have to consider the medium to longer term with this decision as well rather than just changing things up for the short term.
"We are always thinking and discussing what to do and what is for the best. We have got ourselves in to a hole results wise and we need to get out of it and we have a lot of faith in the staff. We could have done things differently but it is tough to find a manager who we felt would make a difference in the short term so we have decided to take a more patient route. We did a similar thing when Jon Brady was appointed, he was appointed three months after Keith Curle left and that worked out well. We have some ideas on who we want but we feel it is something that is probably best to wait until the summer when more candidates will be available to us.
"There is no time limit on the appointment, we are not always in full control of timings. The commitment will be to appoint as soon as we can after the season but to not rush it. You want to make sure you don't affect the following year or the following three years by making the wrong appointment. We won't rush it, the appointment will be as soon as it can be and as soon as it is ready to be made."
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