Cotterill joins Forest after 17 months at Portsmouth and admitted that it was a wrench to leave after all they'd been through but that he was excited at the prospect of working for Forest where he'll start on Monday after watching tomorrow's game against Coventry.
He said: "I'm very excited. It's a wonderful football club which has great traditions which should be embraced. I'm really looking forward to getting to work on the training pitch with the players. I'm passionate, I want us to play good football and play on the front foot."
Cotterill was appointed by new chairman, and former captain and player, Frank Clark who added: "I'm really excited about the appointment. Steve was always at the top of the list and he fits the criteria that we set out when I first started looking at this with the board last week.
"He's enthusiastic, he's hungry, he's got a terrific CB and he's experienced at this level. He was everything we were looking for."
Rob Kelly will remain in charge for tomorrow's game whilst at Portsmouth, former Burnley coach Stuart Gray will be in temporary charge as they begin their search for a new man.