A man with more ups and downs in his career than a hotel elevator, the latest blow to Steve McClaren's managerial career saw a poor 3-1 defeat at home to Birmingham leave boos ringing in the manager's ears, chasing him all the way out of The City Ground and away to the sanctuary of Sherwood Forest.
The stage had been set for a successful return to English football. Having failed to achieve qualification into Euro 2008 as England manager, McClaren had sensibly moved to Holland, escaping the ever vitriolic English press.
Seemingly having undergone sessions of intensive hypnotic therapy to make him forget the last period of his career, and affecting a Dutch accent in the process, success quickly followed. McClaren led Eredivisie side, FC Twente, to an unprecedented league triumph for the first time in the club's history.
After a much less happy time at German club Wolfsburg, McClaren had been handed a nine month break from football. Nottingham Forest had seemed like the perfect English club to return to. A new season. A club on the verge of achieving their long overdue return to the top-flight. Few Forest fans would have argued against the evidence that McClaren was an appropriate choice by the board to be the man to achieve this feat.
Having gathered just eight points, and sitting just above the relegation zone, it is unfortunate that McClaren has decided that ten league games in charge is enough. It was a tenure that capitulated before it had a chance to take off, taking chairman Nigel Doughty with it.
Difficult though, for the fans to be patient. A feeling that resonates strongly through the Forest fan base is that this is a club that belongs in the top division. They've been getting closer. It's understandable that some might see McClaren's short-lived reign as a frustrating step back. Realising this, perhaps McClaren wisely decided to jump ship before he was pushed.
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