Northampton job 'the right time' for new boss Hogg

Building strong links between the club and the community is one of the major priorities for new Northampton Town manager Chris Hogg.

The former Norwich City assistant head coach has signed a two-year contract to replace Kevin Nolan who was sacked by the Cobblers on 9 March as they were eventually relegated to League Two.

"Football for me has lost its essence in a way where we've just become a corporate machine and when I look at Northampton and the connection with the community it's something I want to get involved in and try to enhance and build on," Hogg told BBC Radio Northampton.

"I want to put a team on the pitch where people can connect with it and get behind and it displays the values of the town."

The 41-year-old left Norwich in November when Liam Manning was sacked having also been his second in command at MK Dons, Oxford United and Bristol City but feels ready to move into management.

"It's definitely the right time for me on a personal level and I want to bring some success to this football club, pick everyone up and get going," he said.

"I didn't want to jump into the first opportunity I got offered or where I spoke to people, I had to align certain things and it felt right for me at Northampton with the conversations we had.

"There are some good people here, good values and they do it right in my opinion in terms of the connection with the community. That was a big part for me when I was looking at clubs where I want to be a part of or where there might be opportunities."

Hogg will have former Northampton defender and captain Chris Doig as his number two after he left a similar role at National League Boston United.

The two had previously worked in the coaching set-up at Ipswich Town - Hogg in the academy and Doig as assistant to then head coach, Paul Hurst.

Northampton finished the season with just one win from 17 League One matches, losing their final 11 as they finished bottom of the table, and the new boss is aware of the size of the task he has taken on.

"It is a clean start, we have to change the mentality with people who were here last year," he added.

"For me it's about building afresh and looking to the future, my job is to make sure moving forward we have a successful season and I'll do everything in my power to make that happen and that will involve changing players, we'll be looking to add to the group the best we can."