The Nottingham Forest board recently confirmed that they hope to have a new man at the helm by the time Saturday's fixture away at Coventry City comes around.

A whole host of names have been linked with the vacancy following Steve McClaren's decision to step down from the role last week, leaving the club one place above the Championship drop zone after ten matches.

With speculation over McClaren's successor currently rife, here are the five managers believed to be the front-runners to claim the job.

Roy Keane

The former Forest midfielder has been out of work since being dismissed by Ipswich Town in January. Prior to his two-year stint at Portman Road, the 40-year-old spent two seasons in charge of Sunderland where he guided the Black Cats to promotion to the Premier League. The Forest job is believed to interest Keane, having recently confirmed that he is ready to return to management.

Odds: 9/4

Steve Cotterill

The current Portsmouth manager may not be the most popular choice with the Forest faithful having spent four months in charge of city rivals Notts County in 2010. His short spell at Meadow Lane was largely successful, guiding the club to promotion from League Two. With Pompey currently suffering from financial problems, a number of pundits have claimed that a switch to the City Ground would tempt the 47-year-old.

Odds: 9/4

John Pemberton

Despite a distinct lack of managerial experience at the top level, Pemberton has emerged as one of the favourites for the Forest job. Currently in charge of Sheffield United's academy side, Pemberton did actually have a spell in charge of Forest as caretaker boss in 2008 following the sacking of Colin Calderwood. His contract with the club was terminated following the appointment of Billy Davies.

Odds: 7/2

Kevin MacDonald

Like Pemberton, 50-year-old MacDonald has very little experience of managing clubs at the highest level. The former Liverpool midfielder has previously had a stint as temporary manager of Aston Villa and went on the record saying that he was disappointed not to have been offered the job permanently. He is currently on the coaching staff at Villa Park, but the chance of working solo could well appeal to MacDonald.

Odds: 13/2

Nigel Clough

Taking into consideration the impact that Brian Clough had during an 18-year spell in charge of Forest, the appointment of his son Nigel could well be a popular one for Forest supporters. However, standing in the way of that is the fact that Clough junior is currently in charge of bitter East Midlands rivals Derby County. After 11 years at the helm of Burton Albion, where he guided the Staffordshire club to the Football League, Clough was appointed at Pride Park in 2009. Whether his family loyalties would stretch far enough for him to follow in his father's footsteps remains to be seen.

Odds: 8/1