Northampton confirm Hasselbaink appointment

(Photo: Action Images via Reuters)

By Alex Beard

Northampton Town have secured the services of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as their new manager, the Dutchman signing a three-year deal at Sixfields.

The 45-year-old takes over from Justin Edinburgh, who was sacked after just four games of the new season. The post will be Hasselbaink’s first since he was dismissed by QPR last November.

Hasselbaink’s managerial career started with Royal Antwerp in Belgium, where he spent one season in charge before turning down a new deal so that he could work in England.

That ambition was realised in November 2014 when he took over as Burton Albion boss. He led the Brewers to the League Two title and had them top of the third tier when he switched to Loftus Road in December 2015. His spell at Rangers didn’t go according to plan, but his achievements at Burton make his appointment a risk worth taking for the struggling Cobblers.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas told Northampton‘s official website that: “Once we made the decision regarding the position last week we received a high number of applications. We had two targets that we wanted to speak to initially and following discussions with myself and then other members of the board, Jimmy became our top choice so we are pleased to be able to secure his services.

“We are delighted to have been able to make this appointment, and we now have two very important home games coming up, against Doncaster Rovers on Saturday and Portsmouth on Tuesday September 12th, and we look forward to seeing big crowds at both games to welcome Jimmy to Northampton and to support the team.”