Nottingham Forest fans protest but Ben Osborn sees off Bristol City

If Fawaz al-Hasawi continues to repeat his mistakes and sanction the sale of Ben Osborn to Newcastle before the closing of the transfer window, the protests against his chaotic ownership will look like a meeting of the Women’s Institute knitting group. It will certainly cause more damage than the financial cost of breaking confidentially clauses, following his doomed attempt to sell to John Jay Moores.

Throughout the negotiations with the US consortium, Hasawi risked a fine of £1.5m each time he breached any of the terms laid down by lawyers of the San Diego Padres owner. Now that the sale has collapsed it is uncertain whether the sale of Osborn to Newcastle would still incur a £1.5m bank transfer across the Atlantic. What is certain is that such a move would significantly swell and inflame the 1,000 that gathered to vent their anger before kick-off.

Brian Clough, depicted on a banner, instructed the Kuwaiti to “get out of my club”. The protesters left the air thick with red flare smoke and blue with the expletives directed at “one greedy bastard”, hoping to be heard in the Middle East, where Hasawi chose to remain, continuing the search for his eighth permanent manager since he bought the club in the summer of 2012.

Sheffield Wednesday have scoffed at one Forest request to speak to Carlos Carvalhal. Óscar Garcia is said to have laughed uncontrollably when he received a call and the Barnsley manager, Paul Heckingbottom, is also highly regarded, but what is frightening for the vast majority of supporters is the fact Hasawi spoke with the former manager Billy Davies last week regarding the possibility of a third spell in charge. Apparently that idea has been shelved permanently but it is another example of the madness engulfing the City Ground.

Those calls are an indication of the desperation and lack of a grasp of how to go about replacing Philippe Montanier, sacked last weekend, and a clear example of the manic leadership that leaves fans waking up in a cold sweat on a daily basis. They will be counting the days until the transfer window closes, praying Osborn does not become the next asset stripped after the way he sentenced Bristol City to an eighth straight defeat and left Lee Johnson claiming they have to “do something quickly”.

Losing eight games in succession seems a minor problem compared to Forest’s. No wonder Gary Brazil, the caretaker, claimed Osborn is a “player they are looking to keep”. The youngster’s inventive flick and volley underlined why Newcastle value him so highly and meant a day that started with anger ended with relief, but the overriding suspicion of Hasawi’s chaotic ownership remains.

The Fawazout movement mobilised after the press release from Moores’s camp on Friday claiming that a “revised offer” to buy the club had been rejected, leaving Hasawi to extend a withered olive branch to fans angered by the lack of information regarding the breakdown of the proposed £50m takeover, has been kerosene on the fire of frustration and rumours have burned through the city.

It is claimed Moores’s brinkmanship led to a new offer of £15m for 100% control, including the two months’ wages the US party had paid to Forest players. Negotiations with the American, who has previously walked away from attempts to buy Everton and Swansea City at a similarly late stage, have been far from straightforward.

Hasawi has squandered in excess of £80m during his spell in charge and remains insulted by what he believes is a derisory offer, but supporters can see no other villain almost two years on from their “Fawaz Day” celebrations. They are fed up of seeing gems such as Oliver Burke and Henri Lansbury sold for a combined £16m and money not being reinvested. Osborn leaving would be the Swan Vesta on the paraffin Trent.