Former Forest striker Stan Collymore told BBC Sport: "The dream ticket for a lot of people would be for Stuart to take over as manager and have Nigel alongside him,
"I suppose it depends if Nigel would want to be Stuart's number two."
The outspoken Villa fan didn't rule out himself though of course. He claims: "If Stuart or anybody else phoned me up and asked me to help in some capacity of course I would.
"I think I'd have to help out any of my old clubs."
Former England manager and close friend of Doughty Glenn Hoddle is the bookies' favourite, with Stuart Pearce and Nigel Clough also in the chase.
Other names to be thrown into the hat are Hull's Peter Taylor, Rotherham's Ronnie Moore, Plymouth's Paul Sturrock, former Sunderland and Leeds manager Peter Reid and the first £1m signing and former player Trevor Francis.