Seven matches, consisting of zero wins, two draws and five defeats, is hardly an embellishing record for any manager, but that’s not the reason I believe now is the time for Nottingham Forest to pull the trigger on reigning European champion Ange Postecoglou. This was an appointment which was doomed from the start. When Forest had made the unsurprising decision to dispense with Nuno Espírito Santo, the decision to appoint Postecoglou as his replacement didn’t exactly speak to a club with a contingency plan in place, which is all the more surprising when you consider the high regard Edu was held in during his time as technical director at Arsenal, before moving into a sporting director role. Edu, the current Global Head of Football at Forest, was well known for his diligence in football operations at Arsenal, and enjoyed a successful six years at the club, working closely with Mikel Arteta. At Forest, it was clear that Edu and Nuno didn’t see eye to eye, and Nuno’s sacking came as no surprise. However, what is surprising, and slightly concerning for Forest supporters, is how the decision to appoint Postecoglou was reached.
Evangelos Marinakis, hardly one to maintain a low profile, seemed more than happy to dismiss Nuno after his public fallout with Edu, but when it came to a replacement, the reasoning given about Postecoglou’s impending appointment was quite confusing, if not straight out baffling. Marinakis spoke of Postecoglou’s ability to consistently win silverware at whatever clubs he has managed, which is undeniably true. He also spoke of the pride that he felt as Postecoglou, while winning the Europa League with Spurs last season, was simultaneously promoting Greece in front of the ‘whole world’. Again, no issue with Marinakis feeling a sense of national pride as he watched Postecoglou continue his run of always winning trophies at whatever clubs he has managed, but surely this shouldn’t be a major factor when making such a decision?
Do we really believe that Edu would have recommended Postecoglou to take over a squad which has built its success on defending in a deep low block, before springing forward quickly on the transition? Postecoglou is a manager who now almost famously prides himself on coaching teams to play front-footed, attacking football, at any cost. So, did Marinakis go out on a limb and make this decision on his own? We can never know for sure, but it does seem that way. If that’s the case, what must Edu be thinking? You’ve been recruited as the man to help take Forest to that next level, with the importance of having ‘world-class’ executives at boardroom level almost equally as important as having the right manager in place, and you pay little attention to his recommendations, and make your own appointment. I have no idea if this is a fact, but that’s the feeling I get. We’ve seen plenty of owners behave in this manner numerous times over the years. Let the people you’ve hired to make football decisions actually make these footballing decisions.
None of this is to say that Postecoglou is a poor coach, but the fit doesn’t seem right on any level, be that from a playing style perspective or around the idea that a certain chemistry will have been built up between the coach and football operations within the club. I have a certain amount of sympathy for Forest and Marinakis, given that Nuno seemed to be dead set on making his position at the club untenable. Although when you consider Marinakis actually confronted Nuno on the pitch at the City Ground last season to vent his frustrations following a 2-2 draw with Leicester City, maybe it wasn’t entirely unfair that Nuno had a bit of a chip on his shoulder. At that moment, we probably should have known the writing was on the wall.
The fact that we’ve reached this point two months into a season where Forest are playing European football for the first time in 29 years is astonishing. Let’s also not forget Nuno has an excellent record in the Europa League, having taken Wolves to the quarter-finals in the 2019/20 season, narrowly losing to Sevilla, which is seemingly what happens to any side that faces Sevilla in the Europa League, so there’s no shame in such a result. Now, Forest are reportedly considering hiring Sean Dyche if they do decide to relieve Postecoglou of his duties, which is an incredible situation to be in, but it might just be necessary to fend off the threat of relegation this season. I suspect the plan would be to get through the season, maintain their Premier League status, then regroup next summer and get in a bigger name.
So, is there any chance of an improvement under Postecoglou? Yes, it’s not impossible by any means. Forest have a talented squad, with players such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, Chris Wood and Dan Ndoye, Forest have some fine footballers. Forest have also been unlucky during their seven-game winless run under Postecoglou, with their performance against Real Betis, particularly the first half, hugely encouraging. Add in the likes of Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee and Callum Hudson-Odoi, and this might even start to resemble a squad quite suited to Postecoglou’s preferred playing style. However, it’s the defence which is surely a concern. It’s been well-documented that Nikola Milenković, one of the standout performers from last season’s watertight defence alongside Brazilian centre-back Murillo, will surely struggle to adapt to the high defensive line that Postecoglou appears to be insistent on deploying.
Unless, of course, Postecoglou decides to switch up his tactics and revert to a style of play we saw quite frequently during Spurs’ Europa League-winning run last season. It seemed like anti-Angeball, but it worked. Do we really see Postecoglou going against his principles again? For a man who was insistent that playing attacking football is simply ‘who he is’, it’s difficult to imagine a man who is that dogmatic, that idealistic, switching his style of play so dramatically. If that was the case, what even is Angeball? Would counter-attacking football be the new Angeball? Yes, it would be surprising to see Postecoglou revert to more defensive-minded tactics in the Premier League, particularly this early into his tenure, but it is arguably necessary right now. Against Newcastle last time out, there were elements of the type of football we saw Spurs play during that run to the Europa League final last season, so it’s not an impossibility. Still, this is surely the point where Postecoglou will be keen to drill his ideologies into his players.
While we’re only seven games into Postecoglou’s tenure at Forest, we are already seeing a level of tetchiness, which became a regular theme during his interviews and press conferences last season. At times last season, while some of the criticism which was being aimed at Postecoglou felt over the top and unfair, his behaviour towards the media was bordering on disgraceful. It created a level of hostility that rarely ends well. While José Mourinho expertly played the ‘us against the world’ type of mindset during the first half of his career, it eventually drained players, with the negativity all-consuming. That’s not the level we’re at with Postecoglou right now, and it was obvious last season that the Spurs players liked the man, but eventually the negativity can become too much. During Postecoglou’s first 6 months in charge of Spurs, he was genuinely a breath of fresh air. He spoke with clarity, and he felt relatable. You didn’t get the impression this was a man who was obviously very media-trained, who would simply play the same tunes managers often play. He spoke with conviction. He was something of a beacon, some would even say. However, that quite literally turned from the moment he uttered his now famous “it’s just who we are, mate” line following Spurs’ 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in November 2023. From that moment on, it felt like Postecoglou’s back was up, and whatever trust there was between him and the media, it appeared to dissipate.
Fans have already turned on Postecoglou, and while the chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” during Forest’s 3-2 defeat to Midtjylland were clearly incredibly harsh, it just speaks to the discontent among the fanbase at this moment in time. That felt more like fans not knowing quite who to vent their frustration towards, given Marinakis is a favourite in that part of the world. I hope I’m proven wrong, and time will tell whether Postecoglou can turn the tide, but Forest won’t want to wait too long if a change is on the agenda.
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