NOTTINGHAM
A FOOTBALL CITY IN CRISIS
FEW football cities in England can rival Nottingham for despair at the moment. Forest, the two-time European Cup winners, have lost five of their last six Championship games to plummet to 20th place, two points above the relegation zone. County, the world’s oldest professional football club, are 22nd in League Two after 10 consecutive defeats.
But recent results are only scars from deeper wounds inflicted through years of disastrous ownership. Both clubs are on the cusp of protracted takeovers that fans desperately hope will provide upturns on and off the pitch.
First, Forest. Last November Fawaz Al-Hasawi agreed to sell 80 per cent of the club for £50million to John Jay Moores, the American former owner of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. Yet anxiety has grown as January reaches its second week and Forest remain unable to make signings as a penalty for failing to submit their annual accounts.
Moores flew to London on Tuesday in the hope of concluding a deal that would free Forest from the transfer embargo, but the club’s ability to quickly arrest their decline remains in doubt.
The recruitment infrastructure many clubs have is simply not there. Director of football Pedro Pereira left in October after just four months when it became clear a separate attempt to buy Forest would fail.
Forest have not had a head of recruitment since October 2015, and no chief executive since Paul Faulkner resigned in frustration nearly two years ago.
Supporters turned on head coach Philippe Montanier during Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Wigan. There appeared to be mutiny as players switched positions by themselves in a bid to avoid a defeat that midfielder Ben Osborn called embarrassing.
Montanier may be the first casualty of the takeover — with former Birmingham boss Gary Rowett a potential replacement — but to pin all the blame on the Frenchman, appointed in June, would ignore greater issues.
‘Philippe feels abandoned,’ said a well-placed source. ‘He has absolutely nothing by way of support.’ Agents have called Montanier only to be told that nothing can happen until the takeover is completed. ‘No one knows who to speak to,’ said an intermediary.
Midfielder Henri Lansbury, out of contract this summer, is expected to complete a £3m move to Aston Villa but the deal can only be signed off once Moores is in situ. Losing the club captain would hardly trumpet his arrival.
Montanier’s efforts have been hindered by injuries but his tactics are at times confusing and many inside the dressing room expect a seventh managerial dismissal of Al-Hasawi’s five-year tenure.
The situation has led to high earners such as Switzerland midfielder Pajtim Kasami and much-travelled striker Nicklas Bendtner exuding an impression of indifference.
An insider said: ‘The important thing is clarity; the manager, staff, fans all need a leader. The players need to know what they are fighting for. Quite a few have fo forgotten why they are putting on th the shirt.’
Delays in the takeover have a arisen on both sides, with Moores described as forensic in his financial scrutiny. One former Forest e employee was stunned to discover a scant regard for balance sheets, and unforeseen issues have arisen, includingn the repayment of £1m b borrowed to sign striker Apostolos Vellios in July. There have been a series of late payments to clubs, players and businesses, promptingn frequent winding-up orders.
Moores has buoyed fans by s saying that high-ranking staff are ‘ready to roll’. One person expected to leave is Hassan Saif, described as Al-Hasawi’s ‘eyes and ears’. Previously, Saif would enjoy the bizarre luxury of chatting with friends in the manager’s office with sweets and fizzy drinks to hand from a small fridge. ‘Fawaz and his assistants are not sinister, just immature,’ said a source.
Accounts last year revealed the Al-Hasawi family had ploughed £67m into the club via loans and his retention of a 20 per cent stake illustrates a determination to recoup that outlay.
A 10- minute walk away at Meadow Lane, a takeover appears to have finally gone through. Alan Hardy, who owns a refurbishment company, yesterday insisted he had completed a £3.5m purchase from Ray Trew.
Hardy said he will make an announcement today about who will take over from John Sheridan, who last week became the 11th manager sacked since Trew bought the club in 2010. Alan Smith, the former Manchester United and Leeds striker, has been temporarily in charge.
Hardy is seeking counsel from TV presenter Darren Fletcher. It is believed they met at the plush Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club which Hardy owns.
Hardy wants to put in place a financial structure to secure the future of this 155-year- old club and maintaining Football League status is paramount. Trew’s sale was prompted by a High Court winding-up notice from HMRC and Hardy must wrestle with accounts that most recently declared losses of £14m.
Winning back fans is also vital. Just 3,825 attended the last home loss to Carlisle in a ground that holds just under 20,000.
It’s all a far cry from the city’s best footballing days. Forty years ago Forest were earning promotion to Division One under Brian Clough, triggering their title triumph and double European Cup glory. In 1980-81 County followed their neighbours into the top flight and stayed for three seasons.
Reaching such heights may well be impossible in the modern landscape, but with incoming owners, on both sides of the Trent, aspirations might just begin to flicker.