10 times Fawaz Al Hasawi has critically damaged Nottingham Forest

5th October 2016

Categories: Blogs, Championship, Features, Nottingham Forest, Nottingham Forest Blogs, Other Blogs

Tags: Championship, City Ground, EFL, Fawaz Al-Hasawi, Football, Forest, Nottingham Forest, Philippe Montanier

If you search #NFFC on Twitter, you’ll see a barrage of people livid with Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi, and demanding for him to go.

It’s fair enough to see why, given a catalogue of disastrous decisions under his appalling reign, which has seen the club regress (8th, 11th, 14th, 16th) in every season he has been owner.

The most recent catastrophe is that global brand Red Bull, who have been immensely successful in every sport they’ve invested in, backed away from bidding for the club as Fawaz insisted on a 20 per cent stake and a paid role.

As some described, it’s like selling your house, but still demanding to stay in the master bedroom.

With a few notable omissions – namely the embargo and the Algerians signed on eye watering wages – here is SHOOT‘s top 10 list of damaging decisions made by Fawaz…

1. Not getting enough for Michail Antonio

Before Antonio joined West Ham United, he was the star player at Nottingham Forest. After scoring 16 goals – most of them extraordinary – and claiming 13 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions, keeping Antonio would be tough, though a player with that record and age (then 25) should have commanded a fee of at least £10m, which would have softened the inevitable blow.

However, on Deadline Day 2015, Fawaz saw fit to accept a £7m bid from the Hammers, made worse by the fact that £1.1m went to Antonio’s former club Sheffield Wednesday as a sell-on clause, meaning Fawaz got just £5.9m for Forest’s best player.

2. #EyeGate

On Deadline Day 2013, Forest had agreed a deal with Peterborough United for the services of midfielder George Boyd.

What happened next, under Fawaz’s orders, is absolutely farcical. The club strangely put Boyd through an all-day medical, which he passed. Forest then made him take an eye test, which he failed over 20/20 vision, and that allowed Fawaz to pull a deal which clearly he didn’t want, against manager Alex McLeish’s wishes.

Bizarrely, Forest then tried to agree a loan deal for Boyd, which was flatly refused. McLeish faced former club Birmingham City in Forest’s next fixture to prove he wouldn’t duck the Blues fans who hated him, and then resigned over the incident.

3. Failing to sort out a required safety certificate for The City Ground

It seems basic tasks like keeping paperwork in order is beyond Fawaz’s control – more on that later – but this one took some beating on an individual level.

Just 29 days before the 2016/17 season was due to start, it turned out that incredibly, the club didn’t have a valid safety certificate holder, meaning The City Ground’s capacity was reduced to zero.

Eventually it was boosted to 80% for the start of the season and then finally back to full capacity, but the fact it wasn’t there initially shows just how badly the club is ran behind the scenes.

4. Frequently delaying payments

If you look at the listings of winding up orders, more often than not, you will find Nottingham Forest FC there, normally with HMRC calling the order.

The reason for this is down to the fact no CEO worth his salt wants to work with Fawaz, so the bills are very rarely paid on time, causing more embarrassment for the club.

In addition to this, players and staff have semi-regularly been paid late, while the club were temporarily placed under a transfer embargo – not the big one – for not paying Peterborough instalments from the Britt Assombalonga deal on time.

5. Selling Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow

Another transfer farce, and this one really annoyed fans. In August 2014, Fawaz received a £7m offer for both Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles, and consulted then manager Stuart Pearce about it.

Pearce rightfully said don’t sell at £7m for the pair, it is absolutely nothing and the club could easily get more. So what did Fawaz do? Infuriated his manager and sold them anyway!

Now, Lascelles is Newcastle United captain and is probably worth about £7m on his own, while Darlow endeared himself to Toon supporters with a string of impressive performances in the Premier League, including a penalty save against Crystal Palace.

6. Hiring Stuart Pearce

Following the sacking of Billy Davies (more on that later), the club was in need of a lift – so Fawaz saw fit to hire a club legend in Stuart Pearce to replace him.

Problem is, that club legend hadn’t managed at club level for seven years, and was relieved of his duties as England Under-21 manager after they lost all their group matches at the 2013 European Championships.

After an outstanding start, a run of three wins in 23 matches – with some of the worst football ever seen on Trentside – Pearce was sacked, however that leads us onto my next point…

7. Forcing Paul Faulkner to resign

Many felt the sacking of Pearce was fair given the abysmal run of form, but what really aggravated supporters was the departure of Paul Faulkner, who was appointed CEO at the start of the 2014/15 season.

Faulkner positively engaged with fans, sorted out payment schedules and was a highly valued member of the club. Or so we thought, as he resigned after Pearce was sacked due to his position becoming untenable.

Turns out he was against Pearce being sacked, but what sent Faulkner on his way was how Fawaz hired Dougie Freedman without even telling him, a few hours after sacking Pearce. He still hasn’t been replaced.

8. Hiring Billy Davies

If anything was to sum up Forest’s short-termism, this was it. Fawaz’s first attempt to make up for sabotaging Forest’s chances of success (and #EyeGate) was hiring popular ex-boss Billy Davies.

On the pitch, things looked great, and the club just missed out on a play-off place on the final day of the season. After that, things became awkward as Davies was given free rein to turn the club against… well, pretty much everyone!

With no long-term plan, off the pitch, the club was a shambles as Forest operated under a media blackout, to the point they were described as football’s North Korea, and after a 5-0 loss to Derby County, Davies thankfully departed.

9. Selling Oliver Burke

The straw that broke the camel’s back for Forest fans with Fawaz. A 19-year-old winger in Oliver Burke, who’d been at the club since he was eight with no intention of leaving and was a crucial part in manager’s Philippe Montanier’s plans with four goals in five league matches, was sold behind Montanier’s back – eventually to RB Leipzig.

However, any club who offered a certain amount had a bid accepted – the day after being told Burke was staying.

To make matters worse, the £13m received for Burke will look scandalously cheap down the line, and there was no sell-on clause. Forest still haven’t won since their crown jewel left.

10. Sacking Sean O’Driscoll

Sean O’Driscoll’s record after Forest implies he’d have failed, however it seemed as if everything had fallen into place with him at Forest in a similar way to how a striker can score a hatful of goals for a club, but never replicate it anywhere else.

O’Driscoll was never Fawaz’s first choice, or even his second or third, but he got the job anyway and quickly assembled a team who took to his philosophy almost immediately.

There were some outrageously poor tactical decisions, but this was to be expected with a new manager, and they were few and far between. Despite this, O’Driscoll was sacked hours after Forest defeated Leeds United 4-2 on Boxing Day 2013, a point from the play-offs, as Fawaz wanted a Premier League experienced manager instead.

So there you have it, an insight as to why Forest fans are furious beyond words with their stubborn, incompetent, dictator of an owner who chooses to toy with people’s emotions and livelihoods by playing real life Football Manager.

We are Forest, not Fawaz… Fawaz out!