Steve Cooper and Chris Wilder appear the preferred candidates for the vacant Nottingham Forest manager position.

Without naming any names Robert Earnshaw described his perfect manager at the City Ground on the 72+ podcast.

He said: "With Nottingham Forest it's great if you play an attractive style of football. Because that's what the football club has a history of but also demands. So I think how somebody coaches and what their style is as a manager and I think it doesn't matter about the experience much.

"More of what is there potential as a manager or head coach. You need somebody who is strong enough to understand it (the club), but also can make the big decisions as well."

Earnshaw scored 43 times in 110 appearances and also mentioned in the episode that he had been back to Nottingham Forest looking to gain coaching experience and expertise in the recent years.

Love the EFL? Want to share your opinions about your club? Get involved by subscribing to FLW TV on Youtube HERE!

With the immediate hurdle for any new manager being to lift the club out of the Championship relegation zone, style of play may not be as close to supporters' hearts at the moment but it does seem like a significant pre-requisite for Chris Hughton's successor.

It will be interesting to see how Stephen Reid rallies the troops in temporary charge for the club's trip to Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

The Verdict

Earnshaw has clearly experienced good times at the City Ground and looks back on the key characters at the club at that time as pivotal to that success and as a blueprint Forest should try to replicate.

Dane Murphy oversaw an attractive style of play at Barnsley in recent years, and there is an argument that Chris Wilder brings a more aesthetically pleasing style than Cooper however the way Sheffield United collapsed last season under him may see the latter preferred.

Whoever gets the job needs to be a strong enough character to deal with the fans' demands and more importantly the unique operations at boardroom level.