Nottingham Forest 'face obscurity' – can Nigel Clough save them?
Managerial mayhem, financial problems and the rise of Leicester push the once-mighty team towards oblivion
Nigel Clough is being tipped to become manager of Nottingham Forest after the club sacked Dougie Freedman on Sunday, following a run of five defeats in six matches to see the team lying 14th in the Championship.
In charge at the City Ground for 13 months, Freedman is the sixth manager to be sacked by owner Fawaz al-Hasawi since he took over the club in July 2012.
Forest are now seeking their tenth manager in five years, says The Times, and Freedman's successor will "be taking over a club that has not had a manager complete a season since 2010-11".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Clough, the son of legendary boss Brian, played for Forest in the 1980s and 1990s and is the favourite for the job.
"Now with Burton Albion, it is believed that the son of the club's most famous manager would find it hard to turn down an offer," says The Times.
But it is not the first time Forests's fans have pinned their hopes on a former favourite. Stuart Pearce also tried, and failed, to bring the good times back to Nottingham in recent years. He was fired in February last year, after a reign that lasted only seven months.
The club's woes come at a time when local rivals Leicester City are attempting to pull off what would be the biggest shock in football since Forest won the first division title in 1978 and went on to conquer Europe.
"Until this season, the greatest achievement in the history of the English game was widely credited to Forest," says Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail. "In terms of a journey, from obscurity to the summit, there has been nothing quite like Forest. Until Leicester."
And the Foxes' achievements are pushing the once-mighty Forest "further towards obscurity".
The former European champions escaped a winding-up order at the High Court on Monday after paying an outstanding tax bill, but were ordered to pay costs.
"Forest is a proud club with a proud history and there will be numerous CVs landing on the City Ground doormat. But it is no longer the enticing job it once was," says the Nottingham Post. "Stability is a long absent quality at the City Ground."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Band Aid 40: time to change the tune?
In the Spotlight Band Aid's massively popular 1984 hit raised around £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia and the charity has generated over £140m in total
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Starmer vs the farmers: who will win?
Today's Big Question As farmers and rural groups descend on Westminster to protest at tax changes, parallels have been drawn with the miners' strike 40 years ago
By The Week UK Published
-
How secure are royal palaces?
The Explainer Royal family's safety is back in the spotlight after the latest security breach at Windsor
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Sturgeon slams Rangers fans over title celebrations
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Keely Hodgkinson and Bryson DeChambeau
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Klopp’s unwanted record as Liverpool lose again at Anfield
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Tiger Woods and Tom Brady
By Mike Starling Published