Chris Cohen: Nottingham Forest form not down to off-field issues

Nottingham Forest captain Chris Cohen says the club's impending takeover, off-field distractions and "small issues" with late payments and unpaid bonuses are no excuse for poor form.

Forest have slipped to 17th in the table, having won just once in eight Championship matches.

Cohen, 29, told BBC Nottingham Sport bad results were not down to "a couple of little mix-ups with payments".

"That is not any kind of reason why we are not getting results," Cohen said.

"Anyone that says that is lying and using it as an excuse to hide the fact they are not doing well enough."

Reds owner and chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi is close to selling up to a United States consortium, but has denied reports he is demanding a large annual salary and huge bonuses as part of any takeover deal.

The Guardian article also claimed the players had to be placated over late payments and unpaid bonuses.

But Cohen, Forest's longest-serving player having joined in 2007, added: "There have been issues over the years and everything has always been resolved, but because results are not going well and the media have got involved it has magnified the situation.

"They always get sorted out, as they will be this time, and then we move on.

"You don't want it to happen and would rather everything just ran completely smoothly but they are small issues. Talk of players' revolt - if that was going to happen then I missed it.

"It's not as big an issue as everyone is saying but you want to iron out the small details.

"There is a good relationship and always has been between the chairman and players and that hasn't changed over the last few weeks. I would be surprised if the same story had come if we had won the last five games."