Speaking to the Eastwood Advertiser, Collin said: “It’s very sad to see the state of the club right now.
“At the end of the play-off season the club, squad etc was in a fantastic position, but the chairman got involved and wanted to take the club in a different direction.
“Ultimately, himself, the club and its fans have paid a huge price, and it’s going to take a huge effort to turn it all around in my opinion.
“I was a little bit shocked by their relegation, but when you have a team who narrowly missed out in the play-offs and then you rip the squad apart and bring in a lot of young players with a severe lack of experience, you always run the risk of that sort of thing happening.”
Collin said the decision to fire Nolan so early on last season proved a pivotal moment in the club’s season with the ex-Newcastle player fired at the end of August.
It came months after Nolan had guided the Magpies to the League Two play-offs before they were beaten by Coventry City in the semi-final, missing out on a day out at Wembley.
Collin was a key figure for Notts under Nolan but was surprisingly released along with several other senior squad members.
And the goalkeeper said he was in no doubt that the decision to part company with the popular ex-Magpies boss was significant.
He said: “For me, getting rid of Kevin Nolan was one of Alan Hardy’s biggest mistakes.
“But I have some great memories of Notts County.
“My second season there under Kevin Nolan was fantastic apart from getting injured.
“I have a huge amount of respect for Kevin Nolan.
“He is a fantastic manager and created the best dressing room environment I have ever been involved in.”
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