The past week for NFFC.

Since I last wrote an article here, much has happened at The City Ground. We've had trialists fly in from the middle east, we've appointed a new manager, signed a great player and perhaps most importantly of all, we beat Alfreton in a friendly...

Firstly with the trialists, our neighbours over the A5-2 (never gets old) seem to be quite intent on rubbishing these lads as 'useless' and implying that we're just desperate. Well I do feel the need to remind them of former trialist Radi Majewski smashing one in from 30 yards, that silenced them a bit. Give them a chance, if the owners are true to their word and the manager has the final say then what have we got to lose? Asamoah Gyan proved a star at Sunderland after being found in the depths of African football, and Zinedine Zidane himself was found playing in Algeria! Now i'm by no means saying ours are on that level, but you never know.

Now the appointment of the new manager is something that has delighted me. The Al-Hasawi's have appointed a man in Sean O'Driscoll who knows the lower leagues inside out, plays good football and is already popular with the players. They've avoided the mistake that I think a lot of new owners make in appointing a big name with little or no Championship experience, we all know how that works out (McClaren). Sean will know the players in the lower leagues, a trick we've missed as some of the more successful players in the top leagues are found at the likes of Gillingham and Stevenage.

Now the one that caused widespread joy amongst Reds fans, on facebook and twitter at least. Mr Fawaz Al-Hasawi announced on his official twitter page that we have signed Adlene Guedioura on a 3 year deal, subject to him passing his medical. This is nothing short of great news, he made an incredible impression in his 4 months on trent side, and is the signing most fans wanted. Although it is down at undisclosed I have heard rumours of £2.2 million, which if they are true this shows the new owners mean serious business. Talk about a statement of intent!

Adlene Guedioura is welcomed back to The City Ground by Sean O'Driscoll (left) and cousin Omar,  one of 3 owners.

So far so very good in my opinion. Ignoring the rubbish in the national newspapers about the owners, you cannot fault the start they've made. The increased communication is a breath of fresh air, and personally I can't wait for the next week to unfold, it's going to be one hell of a ride.

Danny O'Donnell. @ChubbyAsian