“Didn’t have a clue” - David Buchanan slams Northampton Town failure Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | OneFootball

Northampton Town favourite slams former boss.

Former Northampton Town captain and title winner, David Buchanan, has slammed former Cobblers boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on the podcast 'I Had Trials Once'.

Buchanan, 38, joined the podcast to discuss standout moments of his 16-year career and his comments on the former Town manager will not come as a surprise to Northampton supporters.

In a snippet, uploaded to social media platform X, the former Preston North End player opened up on the disrespect Hasselbaink showed his squad, especially senior figures such as himself, Alex Revell and captain Marc Richards.

"Jimmy Floyd, for like the stature of a man that he was, just didn't have a clue, and he manages England, like he's an England coach, I just don't know how," said Buchanan.

"Because you're a good player, doesn't make you a good manager. I expected him to have an ego, but like, just the way he used to speak to players.

"When Jimmy came into Northampton at the start like, he walked into the dressing room or the first training session, he gets a sheet of paper, "Right, we're going to play a game, errmmm David Buch- Buchanan? Right, you're going to play left-back. Errmmm Ale- Ale- Alex Revell?" and I'm like you're the manager mate.

"These are people that are like Marc Richards, he is like the top goalscorer of all time in the Football League or whatever it is, he's the skipper of this club. That's a bit of respect back like.

Buchanan also cited Hasselbaink's unusual training regime, which involved 10k runs, often a day before a match, leaving the podcasts' co-hosts in disbelief.

"Just like his ways and like, we used to do a 10k on a Friday like before a game. 10k on a training ground, just set pieces and running about in games."

A lack of respect to Northampton Town

Ultimately, Buchanan has likely not even scratched the surface on the Dutchman's time at the club, which was nothing short of an absolute disaster.

Hasselbaink was appointed manager of the club in September 2017 and was sacked the following April, but Cobblers' unwillingness to pay off the contract he was awarded with during the investment of Chinese consortium, 5U Sport, certainly delayed the decision.

Cobblers made a resurgence under interim boss Dean Austin, but it was too little, too late, and the club were relegated from League One.

Hasselbaink's mentality that he was bigger than the club and its players got him off on the wrong foot right from the start with a close-knit group, making it no surprise to hear comments such as Buchanan's claims this week.

The methods which essentially belittled two members of the squad who were leading figures in Town's 2015/16 title-winning campaign created a disconnect from minute one, as the players' conflict with the manager and toxic environment was evident in performances such as a 2-0 defeat to rivals Peterborough which was the final straw for the Cobblers hierarchy.

Buchanan criticised how Hasselbaink treated captain Richards - who the former had a strong relationship with - he was released by the club the following transfer window.

Hasselbaink's friction with established players at the club set him up for failure at Northampton and it was no surprise he completed an overhaul in the January window which saw those players replaced by new signings, which included Dutch compatriots Kevin van Veen and Kevin Luckassen.

These signings couldn't have been the best options for Cobblers, unless they were coincidentally Dutch. It was Hasselbaink's way or no way which ultimately condemned Town into a position where a miracle was needed to survive.