Nottingham Forest sack Chris Hughton as manager

Hughton spent almost a year in the job and departs after 53 games in charge

(Getty Images)

Bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest have sacked Chris Hughton as manager, after taking just one point from their opening seven Championship matches this season.

The Reds were beaten 2-0 at home by Middlesbrough on Wednesday night to seal the 62-year-old’s fate, after a little over 11 months in the role.

He took over in October last season from Sabri Lamouchi with Forest one off the bottom having lost all four matches to that point, and guided them to 17th by the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

However, they finished the term on a six-game winless streak and lost six of the first seven in the new season, meaning Forest’s last league win came five months ago and Hughton has earned just two Championship victories since the beginning of February - a run of 21 games.

A short statement on the club website confirmed Hughton’s departure and wished him luck for the future.

“The club would like to place on record its’ appreciation for Chris’s efforts. Chris joined the club in a difficult period for everyone in football and around the world and we thank him for the way he has conducted himself during his tenure,” it read.

Forest also announced that former Republic of Ireland international Steven Reid, who joined the club’s coaching staff in the summer after spending two years with the Scottish national team, has been placed “in temporary charge of the first team as interim head coach”.

A search for Hughton’s successor is underway, with the weekend seeing Forest travel to Huddersfield Town, who are currently in the play-off spots. The new permanent boss will be the club’s seventh since the start of the 2016/17 season.