It’s been
over two weeks since Forest chairman Fawaz Al-Hasawi took the decision to sack
manager Dougie Freedman. Just as the club appeared to be edging towards
stability on and off the pitch, a 3-0 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday
forced Fawaz into making a change. Now as Forest look for the elusive manager
to guide them to the Premier League, I have had a look at some of the
front-runners for the job.
Nigel Pearson:
Soon after
news came in regarding Freedman’s sacking, Pearson quickly became a fan’s
favorite to take over at the helm. It is clear to see why given his recent
success at Leicester City, guiding them to the Championship title and then
survival in the Premier League. It could be argued Pearson built the
foundations to the Leicester team which has been remarkably successful this
season.
Nigel Pearson was one of the early front-runners for the job.
However,
Pearson’s time at Leicester wasn’t all plain sailing. He had many outbursts
with the media during Leicester’s first season back in the Premier League. He
will also be remembered for one encounter with a journalist who he went on to
call an ‘ostrich’ which was soon followed up by him being challenged by BBC’s
Pat Murphy. During the same season, he also had a spat with a fan on the
touchline damaging his reputation amongst Leicester supporters in the process.
As much as
Pearson would be a popular appointment amongst fans, it is arguably unlikely
that he would want to work under Fawaz as it could be seen as a recipe for
disaster. Pearson could be seen as a similar character to former Forest manager
Billy Davies and we all know how that one ended.
Nigel Clough:
A perhaps
more realistic target is former Forest favorite Nigel Clough currently at the
helm at Burton Albion in League One. He is a manager whose appointment in my
opinion would bring a mixed reaction amongst Forest supporters. He steadied the
ship at local rivals Derby County without really ever challenging for the
play-offs. He then went on to Sheffield United where he was harshly sacked
after losing out in the play-offs and also guided them to a successful campaign
in the cups. Clough now finds himself top of League One with Burton Albion
having continued the form shown by previous manager Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink.
Clough has a clause in his contract at Burton allowing him to leave for Forest without the club having to pay compensation.
However,
there will be a section of the Forest faithful who would be unimpressed by
Clough’s arrival. His style of play may not match what the Forest fans expect,
which was a key reason behind Freedman’s sacking. Even Burton are now beginning
to stumble at the top after looking certain to be automatically promoted. His
managerial spell in charge of Derby will also leave him unpopular amongst some
supporters.
Out of all
the possible candidates, Clough appears to me to be one of the more likely
contenders. He has a clause in his contract at Burton which would allow him to
join Forest without them having to pay compensation. However, Fawaz has stated
he may move towards appointing a foreign manager meaning Clough may have to
wait a little while longer yet for his chance to follow in his father’s
footsteps.
Martin O’Neill:
Martin O’Neill
taking over as manager at Forest would be a dream for many Forest fans.
However, it does appear unlikely that he would even consider taking the job. In
my opinion, this appointment would be the most popular, possibly more so than
Pearson. This is due to the fact that O’Neill is not only a proven manager but
also has an affinity towards the club and knows what is expected. He has a
great deal of experience with managerial history at the likes of Aston Villa,
Sunderland and currently with the Republic of Ireland alongside another Forest
favorite in Roy Keane.
O'Neill is currently preparing the Republic of Ireland for the Euros in France this summer.
The fact
that I can hardly muster up one negative about the prospect of O’Neill taking
the job is shown by how unlikely it is to happen. O’Neill is currently
preparing for the Euros with the Republic of Ireland and it is likely he will
sign a new deal with them if they are deemed to have been successful. However,
John Robertson has hinted he may be interested in the job so you never know!
Ivan Vukomanovic:
Ivan
Vukomanovic is certainly the name which Forest fans did not want to hear links
about following the departure of Dougie Freedman. The inexperienced Serbian
manager only has one managerial role to his name which was with Standard Liege
where he lasted only three months. Despite the fact he had a reasonably
successful managerial spell; Liege decided to replace him with current Charlton
boss Jose Riga.
Vukomanovic is a Serbian manager who has recently met Fawaz Al-Hasawi for interview.
The fact he
was even invited for interview with Al-Hasawi will cause concerns amongst
supporters. However, this just goes to show the harsh reality of the calibre of
managers in which Forest can now attract. One box Vukomanovic would tick would
be Fawaz’s wish for a foreign manager. The fact he lacks managerial experience
in general let alone in the Championship should ensure he is ruled out.
Csaba Laszlo:
A slightly more
respectable foreign manager recently linked with the post is Csaba Laszlo. One
of the most notable managerial spells Laszlo has had was with Hearts in 2008. He
had a very successful spell there by achieving 3rd place in the SPL
but was surprisingly sacked in 2010. He has since had managerial spells at R.
Charleroi S.C. and the Lithuanian national football team, neither ending
particularly well.
Laszlo's most successful managerial spell came at Hearts where he guided them to 3rd in the SPL.
Laszlo is a
name who is likely to be unknown to majority of Forest fans and way down their
list on who they want to become the new Forest boss. However, Fawaz is looking
for a foreign manager and Laszlo does have a better CV than other foreign
managers such as Vukomanovic who have been linked with the job. However, his
lack of experience of English football should be of huge concern and this is
something Fawaz has stated he is looking for.
Who would you like to be the next Forest
manager?
Get in touch!
Twitter: @ForeverForest1
