Alan Hardy will have been left red-faced by particular Notts County call he got badly wrong: View | OneFootball

Notts County have had their fair share of managers during their time in the Football League, with some achieving far more success than others.

Despite only being at the club for just under 18 months, Luke Williams immersed himself in Magpies folklore following his National League triumph last term, doing what both Neal Ardley and Ian Birchnall failed to do in their respective tenures.

But prior to their drop to the fifth tier in 2019, the club had employed several different managers in their quest to climb up the English football pyramid. However, an appointment ahead of their relegation season from League Two proved to be one of the worst in recent times.

Ahead of their fourth consecutive season in the fourth tier, there was plenty of optimism around Meadow Lane following their fifth-placed finish in the previous campaign, losing out in the play-off semi-finals to Coventry City.

But within six games of the season, manager Kevin Nolan was sacked by the club having picked up one point in that time, with a run of five consecutive defeats in all competitions enough to see him depart the club in spite of what he achieved in the campaign prior.

The club would turn to Crawley Town boss and former Liverpool and Leeds United midfielder Harry Kewell, having steered the Red Devils to a mid-table finish in League Two during the 2017/18 season, leaving the Broadfield Stadium with them in the same position.

His appointment would mark Notts' 15th permanent manager in the space of 10 years, inheriting a squad that was rooted to the bottom of the table but with aspirations of reaching League One.

Harry Kewell's Notts County statistics

The Australian's tenure would start with back-to-back defeats to Forest Green Rovers and Exeter City, but he would claim his first point as Magpies boss in a six-goal thriller against Stevenage at Meadow Lane.

Subsequently, that point would kick-start a five-game unbeaten run, claiming three consecutive wins in that time, including a triumph over his former employers as goals from Kane Hemmings, Jon Stead, and Nathan Thomas secured a 3-1 home win.

While those results had seen the club steadily climb back up the table, that feel-good factor at Notts would not last long, as another dismal run saw them plummet back towards the bottom of the standings.

Defeats to Bury, Milton Keynes Dons, and Swindon Town would result in fans turning against Kewell with results not matching their expectations and hopes of a long-awaited return to the third tier.

Despite claiming draws against Port Vale and Oldham Athletic, the decision was made to part company with Kewell after 11 league games in charge, having signed a three-year contract upon his arrival at Meadow Lane.

The Australian may have left the club just outside the relegation zone, but he is near the top of the table when it comes to the shortest tenures at the club, having only managed 14 games in all competitions.

Only one manager has lasted less time in the Meadow Lane hotseat before being axed, and that was Jamie Fullarton. Having been unveiled as the new Magpies boss in 2016, the former Crystal Palace midfielder was sacked after 12 matches, with fans staging protests against him.

The shortest-ever reign at Meadow Lane, however, was just one match. David Pratt took charge of the Magpies' final fixture of the 1934/35 season, resigning before the start of the following season.

It was yet another disastrous reign for a Notts manager, with Kewell ending his time at the club with a win percentage of just 20%.

Harry Kewell is still in management

Despite his underwhelming tenure with the Magpies, Kewell would secure another management role in England, this time with Oldham Athletic. He oversaw a poor first full month in charge, with the side going six games without a victory in October.

But it was yet another short tenure in management, leaving the club in 16th place in League Two, higher than their previous season's finish.

He would move to Barnet in yet another unsuccessful period, lasting two months having lost five of his seven games in charge, including an opening day drubbing by Notts.

Kewell would then take a back seat from management before becoming the first-team coach under compatriot, Ange Postecoglou at Celtic. He remained in the role for the first few months of the 2023-24 season after Postecoglou was replaced by Brendan Rodgers, but would return to the dugout at the end of last year.

He was announced as the new manager of Japanese club, Yokohama F. Marinos, and currently has them close to the top of the table during the early stages of the J1 League campaign.