Danny Higginbotham has encouraged Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi to make a quick managerial appointment at the City Ground.

The Tricky Trees have been without a boss since Monday when the decision was taken to sack Billy Davies following a run of results that has seen the team drop to seventh.

Both Stuart Pearce and Neil Warnock have turned down the opportunity to take charge of the Championship club, but Higginbotham, who spent time on loan with Forest in 2012, has insisted that promotion can still be achieved if a successor to Davies is found soon.

"It doesn't look great right now. If Neil Warnock and Stuart Pearce have turned the job down, it makes you wonder what is being said in the interview. Whether the owner wants a particular thing from his manager, you just don't know," he told Sports Mole.

"If you look at Nottingham Forest's squad, it's one of the best in the league. It's so important that they get somebody in very soon. As each week goes by they are getting these negative results, they'll end up falling further and further away from the playoffs. But, if they can sort themselves out and finish in the playoffs, they have a great chance of winning them because of the players that they've got."

In recent days, a number of managers have been linked with the vacancy, including Malky Mackay, Gianfranco Zola, Glenn Hoddle and Steve Clarke. When asked who he believes would be best suited to fill the hotseat, Higginbotham responded: "Any of them – they're all fantastic managers in their own right and they all bring different qualities.

"With Hoddle and Zola there is a flamboyance about their play, whereas Mackay knows how to get out of the Championship and into the Premier League. Clarke was treated unfairly at West Brom and he is a very good up-and-coming manager. Any of that four would be good, but if you look at Mackay, he's been there and done it."

This afternoon Forest take on fellow promotion candidates Ipswich Town at Portman Road.