The 2011/12 football season has seen Nottingham Forest lurch from one embarrassing crisis to another. A series of gaffes by the hierarchy at the club began with the sacking of Billy Davies in the summer and was helped in no small part by the disastrous appointment and resignation of former England manager Steve McClaren. Chairman and club owner Nigel Doughty stood down amidst a fan protest on the same day as McClaren’s departure and handed the baton over to current chairman Frank Clark.
Supporter discontent has never been far away from the headlines on Trentside this season and things got no better following the appointment of Steve Cotterill, an influx of new loan signings, nor especially in light of the the recent death of club owner Nigel Doughty. After 30 games of this sorry excuse for a promotion push (yes, that was the stated aim and ambition of the club at the start of the campaign), the club languish 2nd from bottom in the Championship table, just 1 point above Doncaster Rovers. We are 6 points from safety and only have 16 games remaining in which to avoid relegation to League 1.
Steve Cotterill is understandably coming in for much of the blame and although his record of 5 wins, 3 draws and 14 defeats in 22 games is difficult to defend, the blame can not lie solely at his door. The blame for the clubs’ demise this season will ultimately lie just a little further up the food chain and as usual the one constant in the clubs’ failings in recent times is Chief Executive Officer Mark Arthur.
Whilst fans should be demanding Mark Arthur’s immediate sacking/resignation, it looks as though our Teflon coated CEO will once again escape the flak. There’s already an on-line petition calling for change, but for me the real problems at the club fall at the feet of the CEO. He along with former owner Nigel Doughty are the real reasons the club repeatedly make the same mistakes and are the real reasons why we’re facing another spell in the graveyard of League 1.
Another defeat for Steve Cotterill at home to fellow relegation strugglers Coventry tomorrow, will make it very difficult for the manager to hold onto his job. But, with a three and a half year contract tucked safely under his belt, it’s hard to imagine he will walk. However, the growing number of signatures on the on-line petition is rising fast and will only increase further if we fail to beat Coventry tomorrow. Time may well be running out for Steve Cotterill, but it ran out for Mark Arthur long ago.
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