Nottingham Forest’s new owners replaced sacked manager Steve Cotterill with former first-team coach Sean O’Driscoll.

O’Driscoll, whose previous clubs include Bournemouth and Doncaster, worked under Cotterill for five months earlier this year before leaving to join Crawley in May.

The Kuwaiti-based Al Hasawi family sacked Cotterill shortly after taking control of the club and were linked with moves for a string of big-name bosses, including Mick McCarthy, Glenn Hoddle and Roy Keane.

Majority shareholder Fawaz Al Hasawi 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.”

The former Ireland international 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.”

Fawaz Al Hasawi, a member of one of Kuwait’s richest families, bought Forest, now in the Championship, with the assistance of his brothers last Tuesday.

Forest had been on the market since the sudden death of owner Nigel Doughty in February.