Roberto Di Matteo and Roy Keane in frame after Nottingham Forest axe manager Sean O'Driscoll Keane, a former Forest captain who spent three years at the club before a £3.75 million move to Manchester United in 1993, was at the Leeds game and has also been seen at other matches this season. His managerial record is patchy, having enjoyed mixed success at Sunderland before his unhappy with Ipswich, which lasted just under two years. Di Matteo is another option, and would represent a significant coup for Forest's owners if they can persuade him to take a job in the Championship. He also won the FA Cup last season with Chelsea and achieved promotion to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion two years ago. Neil Warnock, who was beaten by O'Driscoll on Boxing Day, could be an outsider. Fawaz Al Hasawi, who replaced cousin Omar as chairman last weekend, said: "We cannot speak highly enough of Sean as a man. He was appointed at an extremely difficult time for the club and can count himself unlucky to have lost his job with the team just one point away from the top six. With the January transfer window approaching, we feel it's the right time to make a change. O'Driscoll is understood to have been told promotion was now the remit for the season earlier this month, despite the owners talking of a "three- to five-year business plan" when they bought the club. He has signed 14 players since the summer but has been preaching the importance of building a team. However, there have been rumours that his job was on the line ever since the defeat to Leeds at Elland Road in September, although the timing of the decision has been met with criticism and bewilderment. It also comes only a week after Forest's owners had a boardroom reshuffle, after many agents and suppliers were paid late. O'Driscoll's dismissal will also have come as a shock to Forest's players, who were pivotal in his appointment in July. Mick McCarthy, Steve Coppell and Glenn Hoddle had all been interviewed, after Steve Cotterill's contract was terminated, but when the opinions of the dressing room were canvassed, the support for O'Driscoll was said to be so strong that they swiftly raided League One Crawley Town to give him the post. Forest striker Billy Sharp, who scored twice in the win against Leeds, tweeted last night: "Gutted, that ruins a decent day." Ironically, O'Driscoll will be considered by Wolverhampton Wanderers if they run out of patience with Stale Solbakken. Whoever replaces O'Driscoll will be guaranteed funds for the January transfer window. The Al-Hasawis have already paid out around £6 million on transfer fees, with Leeds striker Luciano Becchio emerging as an early target.