Ange Postecoglou sacked after 39 days in charge at City Grounds
Ange Postecoglou had only just moved into his new flat. The Australian barely had time to unpack in the new apartment before being sacked as Nottingham Forest manager. Only 39 days after being appointed, the 60-year-old became the shortest-serving permanent Premier League manager. He did not even have time to take his post-match news conference, with Forest acting only 17 minutes after the final whistle of the 3-0 Premier League defeat by Chelsea.
Postecoglou, having replaced Nuno Espirito Santo on 9 September, was supposed to take the club to the next level and to their first major trophy since 1990. Instead, the club is left muddled, lacking a clear identity and direction, and looking for a third manager of the season two months into a campaign which had promised so much. Saturday’s defeat was the final straw for owner Evangelos Marinakis, who left his seat in the Peter Taylor Stand after about an hour, foreshadowing what was to come.
It was an eighth game without a win for Postecoglou, and he leaves as Forest’s shortest-serving permanent manager – less than Alex McLeish, who lasted 40 days. Postecoglou gave the players space to digest Nuno’s departure in his first week at the club, wanting to respect the bond his new squad had with their former manager.
Their closeness and fondness for Nuno are not something which should be used against Postecoglou. The players did not turn, despite Postecoglou’s speeches about his past wearing thin, and understood he needed time to set up his system – something he lacked with six games in his first 23 days limiting time on the training pitch – yet there were doubts.
The leap from Nuno’s pragmatic counter-attack to Postecoglou’s high-pressing, flowing game was too big, as some struggled to get to grips with the change. It was too much too soon. Morgan Gibbs-White said that when they clicked, Forest would be “unstoppable”, yet the system suited some better than others. Elliot Anderson thrived, while centre-backs Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo were nervous and sometimes exposed.
Results naturally eroded belief, but the unity in the squad, which was the foundation of last season’s seventh-place finish – as Forest reached Europe for the first time since 1995-96 – had also taken a hit. Those close to Postecoglou describe him as honest, a good man, and unapologetic about how he wants to play.
But his decision to switch to a more pragmatic five at the back for his last few games belied his principles early, and doubts had crept into the squad. Granted, that pragmatism helped Tottenham win the Europa League – especially in the semi-final second leg win at Bodø/Glimt in May, as Spurs navigated a tricky tie well – but it was not what he was brought to the City Ground for.
Source: BBC
