Former Nottingham Forest striker Garry Birtles has stated that the Reds should learn from Premier League-bound Bournemouth.

The Cherries have all but wrapped up second place in the Championship with their 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Monday, while Forest currently languish in 12th following an inconsistent campaign, which began under Stuart Pearce and will end under current manager Dougie Freedman.

Birtles believes that Forest are in desperate need of the stability and astute management that Bournemouth have had under Eddie Howe.

"I was sat there with a big smile on my face the other night, watching a club reap the rewards of picking a good manager and sticking with him, of making smart signings in the transfer market and of playing attractive, attacking football – and I just wished it was Nottingham Forest," Birtles told the Nottingham Post.

"The Reds could learn from Bournemouth - any club could. When you look at what manager Eddie Howe has done at Dean Court, taking the Cherries all the way from League Two into the top flight in two separate spells as manager, it's fantastic.

"The way they've achieved it is a lesson for other clubs too. There are no big-name players there, no big-time Charlies, no superstars, nothing like that."

Forest last played in the Premier League in the 1998-99 season.