Kevin Nolan: Leyton Orient owner Francesco Becchetti has 'passion' for club
Last updated on .From the section Football
Leyton Orient player-manager Kevin Nolan says president Francesco Becchetti is determined to see the League Two side succeed.
Nolan is the sixth man to take charge of the O's since the Italian took over the east London club in summer 2014.
"The owner wants to better the club," Nolan, 33, told BBC London.
"He has got a passion and a desire to get this club back up where he thinks it belongs. That is in the higher echelons of the Football League."
Success 'will take time'
Orient had four different managers last season as they were relegated from the third tier.
The O's made a strong start to the current campaign under Ian Hendon, who was appointed head coach in May 2015, but the former West Ham coach was dismissed last month, leading to Nolan's appointment.
Becchetti also has challenges off the field as he is the subject of an extradition request from Albania, where he faces charges of fraud and money-laundering which he denies.
The 49-year-old, who is subject to a curfew as part of his bail conditions, recently served a six-match stadium ban for aiming a kick at coach Andy Hessenthaler.
However Nolan says he did not think twice about joining the O's as player-manager.
"I didn't look at it as an unstable club. I saw it as a club which has a lot of promise in it," the former Newcastle and West Ham midfielder added.
"When the owner took over from Barry [Hearn] I didn't think he would have been in this predicament.
"It will take time and he knows that. There has been uncertainty with the managers who have been and gone here but hopefully he has found someone he can have a good relationship with and hopefully we can be successful together."
Nolan enjoying balancing act
Nolan has guided the O's to four wins in his six matches in charge, while also appearing in five of those games, with the club now one point off the play-off places.
The ex-Bolton trainee is the youngest manager in the top four divisions and is keen to prove he is capable of making a success of being a player-manager, a role which is a rarity in the modern game.
"A lot of people have said 'I don't know how you are going to do both' or 'it doesn't work' but hopefully I'll be the one who shows it it can work," he said.
"I'm enjoying juggling both sides of the job. There have been challenges along the way and I'm sure there will be many more.
"It is quite incessant. I am still getting to know the coaching staff but I think we have done well in the fact we have built up a good relationship quickly."
