15/11/2008 - Takeover not on horizon at Forest
It is the kind of phone call you are embarrassed to make.Dialling the number tentatively, you are 99.9% certain that the question you are about to ask will be greeted with a mixture of total mirth and barely disguised disdain.
You are supremely confident the answer will be an emphatic no.
Not just because there have been no whispers, no evidence to suggest that anything might be happening behind the scenes, no word or warning from anyone at the club that something could be on the horizon - but because the idea itself is so utterly preposterous.
"Martin O'Neill is the managerial target for a Middle East consortium who are in talks with Nottingham Forest about a multi-million pound takeover."
Marked as an exclusive in a national newspaper, it was the kind of article that sets alarm bells ringing among fans - and in newsrooms at other newspapers and newsrooms around the country.
In terms of factual content, you might as well have added "and current manager Colin Calderwood has been signed up to appear alongside Mr Sulu and some former page three girl on I'm a Celebrity.
In fairness, the report was only a small step further over the line than one that appeared in several other papers a little over a week ago, which suggested former Notts County manager Sam Allardyce was fronting a consortium bidding to take over the club.
In an age when the internet is king, any bit of speculation, where football is concerned, is now fair game.
But when a piece is written so confidently; with such certainty and authority, it is enough to plant a tiny seed of doubt.
And you have to make the call. This is not the time to be wrong.
In the end, it requires barely a ten-second phone conversation to confirm the hunch that the story is plain wrong.
But then the evidence was already in place to confirm that.
Never mind the fact that O'Neill has never been a man to put money before morals, having turned down several job opportunities before he found the job that was right for him and taking over at Villa.
Having begun to reap the benefits of two years of hard work at Villa Park, the Irishman is hardly likely to be in a hurry to walk away from a job half-done now, even if a vast amount of cash was on offer for him to do so.
But vast amounts of cash will not be on offer because, to put things bluntly, Nottingham Forest FC is not for sale.
Nigel Doughty would be the first to admit that, in terms of the club's fortunes on the pitch, his tenure as chairman has not gone as well as he would have liked.
But, having finally seen the club win promotion back into the Championship, he then sanctioned further heavy investment in the side over the summer.
Why would he want to walk away now?
Like anyone, Doughty would probably have his price, if it came to the crunch. There is probably a magic figure that would persuade him to part company with the club; that would overcome any sentiment he felt for the club he supported as a boy.
But it would most likely be a vast figure. Certainly one that would be prohibitive to all but the ludicrously rich.
Because, while Doughty is a successful businessman and Nottingham Forest is run very much as a business, the chairman himself does not expect to make a profit from his involvement.
Questions could be raised, with the benefit of hindsight, over some of the managerial appointments during his stewardship; as could the faith shown in some of those managers, in the form of financial backing.
But throughout it all, there is no questioning Doughty's desire for one thing - to see the club do well.
In a climate when takeover stories seem to be de rigueur, Forest have inexplicably been chosen as the club of choice, at a time when there are countless other clubs that are actively up for sale and desperate for investment.
Perhaps their struggle at the wrong end of the Championship has been a factor.
Forest may, after all, still be regarded as a sleeping giant but, having regained their position in the second tier, they are a step closer to being roused from their slumber.
But that revival began under the guidance of Doughty and Calderwood and, barring a disastrous run of form that might ultimately put the manager's position under threat, that is unlikely to change.
Although, unfortunately, that doesn't mean there won't be any more uncomfortable phone calls between now and the end of the season.