On 4 February 2012, former chairman and owner Nigel Doughty died as a result of Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS). On 11 July 2012, it was announced that the Al-Hasawi family had purchased Nottingham Forest from the estate of Nigel Doughty. The next day, the Al-Hasawi family sacked manager Steve Cotterill. On 19 July 2012, Crawley Town manager Sean O'Driscoll was appointed as his replacement, despite the fact he had not taken charge of a single game at his former club. On 26 December 2012, just hours after a 4–2 victory over Leeds United, O'Driscoll was sacked. On 27 December 2012, Forest appointed Alex McLeish as their new manager. Chief executive Mark Arthur as well as scout Keith Burt and club ambassador Frank Clark were dismissed in January 2013. On 5 February 2013, Alex McLeish left the club by mutual agreement, just 40 days after McLeish took charge of the club. Pundits and supporters stated their concern for the state of the club, with journalist Pat Murphy describing the situation as a "shambles". Two days later, Billy Davies was re-appointed as Nottingham Forest manager. Forest finished the 2012–13 season in 8th place, one point outside the play-off positions.