Nottingham Forest have announced the appointment of Dougie Freedman as their new manager, little over an hour after confirming the dismissal of Stuart Pearce.

Freedman, who played for the club between 1998 and 2000, has managed in the Championship with Crystal Palace and Bolton.

Pearce’s reign ended earlier in the evening, with Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Millwall – their sixth defeat in seven matches, which left them with just one win in 11 – proving the final straw.

The former England captain had returned to the City Ground, where he enjoyed considerable success as a player, in the summer and had been expected to mount a promotion challenge.

Promising start

Despite a promising start to the season following a hefty spending spree, it has been a disappointing campaign and, after meeting with owner

Fawaz

Al Hasawi

, the 52-year-old was relieved of his duties. He has, however, been offered an alternative position with Forest, which the club said he is “considering”.

The former Manchester City boss became the sixth manager to be sacked by Al Hasawi, who wasted no time in revealing the new man tasked with ensuring Forest do not get sucked into a relegation fight.