What is possible, however, is to look at the situation from the outside, observing what we know so far to determine what the consequences have been and may yet be for the numerous characters in this charade. Amid all the confusion, one thing is crystal clear: so far, nobody has come out of this smelling of roses. And whatever the conclusion, damage has been done to a number of reputations that will be difficult to repair. The losers are as follows:
Nigel Doughty
Probably the one man who actually has a mental grip on the situation. At least, we better hope he has or we are all in trouble!
Doughty's reputation as a top-class businessman is undisputable, which is why the fact he simply allowed a payment of £4.5m to go unmet leads us to believe that this is part of a cunning masterplan. Either that, or he's lost the plot completely. To what this plan may be, we can only speculate, but many feel that he is playing games with the council to gain leverage in the negotiation of a new refinancing deal.If he is successful, he may well be the big winner in all of this. It is common knowledge he wants to buy land around the City Ground to develop into a profitable Chelsea Village-style enterprise, the profits of which he will pour back into Forest. With the City Ground lease at stake, maybe he is trying to work this arrangement into part of the deal and if he gets his way this should be of benefit to Forest.
However, he is playing a risky game and putting his reputation on the line. If the club and Nottingham City Council fail to come to an agreement, a string of events could force force the club out of the City Ground or even into administration. As we will see later, these are very extreme outcomes. But even so, it doesn't do Our Nige much good to be seen deliberately taking us in that direction.
Nottingham City Council
Councillor Jon Collins and his chums are in a very tricky situation. They have every right to claim back the money the club owes them and an obligation to the tax-payers to do so. However, at the same time they do not want to piss off thousands of Forest fans by destroying the club or its stadium. It is in their interests to get this situation sorted as soon as possible to keep everyone happy.
That is why Doughty's maneuvering is such a problem for them. The council may have the law on its side, but Doughty is not reliant on public opinion as they are. He can afford to play games because his position at the club in unassailable, where as the council are bound to serve the public, else face their wrath come the next election.They have had no choice but to reject a number of proposed solutions from the club because the levels of security offered on them were not strong enough. Although this is the fault of the club's management, they have been able to spin this to make the council seem like the villains in this. In truth, they are very keen to see the club and stadium safe, but are restricted by the rules of government and public spending which they have no choice to observe.
Pity is also due because although Doughty's expected argument should the case reach the courts is to be that he was not in charge of the club when the agreement was made so should not be made to pay up, the current council were not in place either. They are in hot water because of the actions of their predecessors, just as Doughty is.
The creditors
The banks and various other lenders are still waiting for their money. They collectively account for roughly another £15m of the club's debt and will be as keen to have it back as the council, although they cannot use public backing as ammunition in the negotiations.
While they have been keen to watch the interest stacking up, they know that if the worst comes to the worst and Forest go into administration, they may not be able to get all of the money they are owed back, a la Leicester City.
They are, however, ahead of the council in the queue to collect their debts, so it is hard to feel sorry for them when they could be taking away funds which could be better spent keeping the council off our backs.
The Nottingham Evening Post
The NEP's angle throughout this has been the threat to the City Ground, a threat they have continually over-played. In the short-term, this may have sold more copies, but in the face of denials by the council that they intend to kick Forest out, the paper's reputation could be damaged amid accusations of scare-mongering.
In truth, the council have always seen selling the City Ground as a last resort. For one thing, it would not be profitable for them. They make a fair amount from Forest in rent and in fact want to give the club a new 250-year lease. Also, having kicked Forest out, they would be faced with the problem of re-homing the club, although little of this has been reported in the local media.
The Discerning Eye
Speaking of scare-mongering, Karl Pridmore's already damaged reputation has taken a further blow after he melodramatically claimed "the Leader of the City Council and his loony left colleagues are about to force Nottingham Forest FC into administration".
The Eye was formerly a valuable source of inside information at the club, but this status has long since faded after a series of recent 'scoops' proved to be totally inaccurate or misleading. These days, most people regard the site as nothing but an unofficial mouthpiece for his pal Nigel Doughty's propaganda, and Pridmore's unbalanced coverage against the council did little to dispel these opinions.In fact, the reports published in recent weeks look to serve no purpose other than to create a panic into which Doughty can stride as the hero, saving the club from the evil clutches of the council. When the truth is revealed, it could be the last straw for The Eye's credibility.
The fans
While those with the power may have a better idea of what's going on than most, it is those of us without any influence over the situation who are suffering the most here. Not only do we not get a say, but also we do not get to be privy to all the facts.
So while the power men of Nottingham battle it out behind closed doors, we are left in the dark. What with all the scare stories in the media, it is hard to stay calm about the situation.
And this can only be bad for the club, as fans unsure of whether the club will even have a stadium next year are hardly going to be keen to fork out for a season ticket - will there even be a seat for them to sit in?
We probably don't need to know all the facts, but what we do need is some reassurance of when this situation will be resolved. Doubts over the club's future are hardly helpful when the club is promising promotion and progress. The saga has already taken a number of casualties and the longer it takes to find a resolution, the worse things will get for those involved.