Soccer:Nottingham Forest have appointed former Republic of Ireland international Sean O'Driscoll as their new manager. O'Driscoll, whose previous clubs include Bournemouth and Doncaster, worked under previous Forest manager Steve Cotterill for five months earlier this year.

Cotterill was sacked shortly after the Kuwaiti-based Al Hasawi took charge of the club and Forest were linked with moves for a string of big-name bosses, including Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy. Majority shareholder Fawaz Al Hasawi acknowledged as much, but declared O’Driscoll the ideal appointment.

“We interviewed many well-known and high profile figures but we truly believe Sean O’Driscoll is the best man for the job,” he said. “Sean’s passion for Nottingham Forest, knowledge of the game and the Championship in particular, plus his work ethic, shone through in our conversations. We are delighted to welcome Sean back to the club. He has our total support and we are looking forward to a long and successful relationship.

“He is hugely respected, not only by members of our current squad and staff at the club for his work in helping transform our fortunes last season, but also within the wider football community.”

O’Driscoll said: “It was an easy decision to make to return to Nottingham Forest. I enjoyed my time working with the players last season, and even in sometimes difficult circumstances the fans gave the kind of support you don’t often see in football today.

“The Al Hasawi family’s ownership opens exciting prospects for this club and I look forward to rebuilding the squad and playing the kind of attractive football the City Ground deserves to see.”