JIM Magilton may owe Colin Calderwood a debt of gratitude but it won't stop him trying to sink Nottingham Forest deeper into the relegation mire.

Derek Davis

JIM Magilton may owe Colin Calderwood a debt of gratitude but it won't stop him trying to sink Nottingham Forest deeper into the relegation mire.

Magilton was only handed the Blues manager's job after Calderwood had turned it down to follow his dream to take over as freshly-relegated Forest boss and was charged with getting them back to the Championship.

Calderwood got Northampton Town promoted in 2006 and was the preferred choice of chairman David Sheepshanks and other board members, but when the Scot decided against Town's offer Magilton was informed almost immediately that he and Bryan Klug had the job and he was unveiled as the Blues manager the following day.

Both men are now in their third season in charge of their respective clubs and Magilton is mighty grateful to Calderwood for choosing Forest - who he got promoted at the second attempt - rather than Town.

Magilton said: “Colin made that decision and I'm glad he did because that gave me the opportunity to manage this club.

“He went to Forest which is a fantastic club that probably still has the ghost of Brian Clough walking the corridors like we have Sir Alf and Sir Bobby walking ours, along with the weight of expectation, but Colin handles it magnificently well.”

Magilton's respect for Calderwood goes back way before that fateful Sunday after the pair had shared a room back when Glenn Hoddle picked the duo for a Division One select side playing against an Italian select team from Serie B.

Magilton recalls: “Colin is a top bloke. We were room-mates once and from then I have followed his career closely. He is an outstanding manager who conducts himself impeccably.

“He got promoted with his side and while they may be finding things tough at the moment, they, like Swansea, if they get a few results confidence will grow and once they do they will be okay.”

With his side stuck on the bottom of the Championship, Calderwood hopes Ipswich's away day frailties will continue to let them down so Forest can move on up.

He said: “Ipswich are a really good football side. They have been together now for a little while, they have developed together.

“They are a really solid side with experience and youth. They have been playing at this level for a while now, which is what we have to do. We have to start playing Championship football and do it well.

“They haven't had an away win in some time - but saying that we have not had a home win in a while, so we will definitely make sure that we test them thoroughly.”