Former Nottingham Forest captain Stuart Pearce has hinted he could be interested in becoming manager at the City Ground following the departure of Billy Davies.
Pearce labelled the job an “outstanding” opportunity for the right person.
Veteran manager Neil Warnock decided he was not suited to the job after talks with Forest owner and chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi on Monday.
Warnock, who has been out of management since leaving Leeds in April 2013, suggested former Watford manager Gianfranco Zola or former England Under-21 boss Pearce could suit the job in the long term.
And Pearce, who played for Forest between 1985 and 1997 and had a spell as caretaker player/manager following Frank Clark’s resignation during his final season with the club, still has managerial ambitions.
“I have spent 10 years training as a manager and that is what I am,” explained Pearce.
“There are some really good jobs out there at times that come up every now and again and Nottingham Forest outside the Premier League is an outstanding job for whatever manager wants it.”
Pearce suggested he would need assurances over the level of control he would have if he were to take the job.
He said: “I would have thought there are certain things a manager wouldn’t accept. Things like picking of the team and players coming through the door who are signed by somebody else that you don’t want. Those are probably the two golden rules for any managers.
“Some are different. Some accept that. It depends how desperate you are for a job. Some would accept that and some would want total control. It is varying degrees.”
Davies’ second spell as manager came to an end after a dismal run of form and a breakdown in his relationship with Al Hasawi.
Saturday's 5-0 defeat to Derby saw Forest's run without a win reach eight matches — a streak which has seen them go out of the FA Cup to League One side Sheffield United and drop out of the Sky Bet Championship play-off places.
Academy manager Gary Brazil will take charge of first-team affairs until a replacement for Davies is appointed, starting with Tuesday night's game against Charlton at the City Ground.
Warnock had looked set to take on the job on a short-term deal until the end of the season, and fancied the task until changing his mind when deep into discussions with Al Hasawi.
The 65-year-old Warnock, who has been out of management since leaving Leeds in April 2013, told talkSPORT: “The talks started well, but in my eyes deteriorated.
“The experience I’ve got, let’s not forget, at the last three clubs I’ve been a bit unlucky, I’ve had three new owners. So I’ve got an idea of owners and what they want and how they work. In the end I didn’t think I was the right one.”
Former QPR boss Warnock stressed he had no problem with Al Hasawi but claimed that some managerial decisions might be difficult under Forest’s structure. He was determined there should be no influence on footballing affairs beyond his own guidance.
Warnock said: “I’m sure someone like Pearce or Zola will come in, somebody like that will end up there. Stuart Pearce would be ideal. But it wasn’t for me really.
“When you’ve got 10 games, possibly 12 games to go. When you’ve got experience, or you’ve done the job, you’ve got to do it how you want to do it and I didn’t see that if I’m honest with you.
“(The chairman)’s a nice guy, I got on all right with him. There’s just certain criteria that even I can’t do, even if it’s the right club.”
