Forest setting managerial bar way too low with Pearce and Hoddle
Published:The Wikipedia page listing the men to have managed Nottingham Forest is a read that gathers misery like a dung beetle’s ball grows in size rolling down a hill.
Starting out as the flagship for managerial durability, Forest’s managers in the early years were always afforded the luxury of time.
Brian Clough is the obvious name that springs to mind, racking up 968 games on the Forest touchline in a 18-year spell.
The recent history of the club couldn’t be further from that ideal, with the sacking of Billy Davies leaving The Tricky Trees searching for their sixth full-time boss in just under three years.
It seems the overriding theme in appointing a Forest boss these days is: the bigger the name, the better. Steve McClaren and Alex McLeish are two examples, while the names favoured to replace Davies toe that line.
Neil Warnock has already turned down the chance to succeed the Scot, while Glenn Hoddle, Stuart Pearce and Gianfranco Zola are names that may provide all the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip but do little to inspire.
None of that trio have impressed too much as club managers recently and an appointment of any of them would be based purely on reputation rather than hard-nosed results.
In order to make a return to the Premier League, something the club can take a step closer to doing with a win over Ipswich at 23/10 next time out, Forest must have the courage to trust a young, up-and-coming manager to build a legacy.
Malkay Mackay is a Championship-winning boss prematurely axed at Cardiff, Karl Robinson is building a career of consistency at MK Dons, while the results Sean Dyche and Uwe Rosler are getting at Burnley and Wigan respectively show that Forest must avoid the glamour names to progress.
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