Nottingham Forest Sack Coach Ange Postecoglou

Nottingham Forest have sacked head coach Ange Postecoglou after he failed to win any of his eight matches in charge of the Premier League club.

Forest’s decision came quickly after a 3–0 home defeat to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon. Less than 20 minutes after the final whistle, the club released an official statement confirming Postecoglou’s dismissal. By that time, he had already left the City Ground.

The club’s short statement read: “Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect. The club will make no further comment at this time.”

The 60-year-old Australian manager joined Forest on September 9 on a two-year contract after the departure of Nuno Espírito Santo. However, his time at the club was brief and unsuccessful. In just 39 days, Postecoglou’s side lost six matches and drew two, leaving Forest without a single victory during his tenure.

Fans had already begun to lose patience, with chants of “sacked in the morning” heard during one of the team’s defeats to Danish side FC Midtjylland. Following a 2–0 loss to Newcastle, Postecoglou admitted he expected to meet Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to discuss his future. Yet, during a press conference the following Friday, he claimed those talks never happened, saying defiantly, “The story always ends the same… me with a trophy.”

Unfortunately for Postecoglou, his side’s poor performances told a different story. Forest struggled to take their chances, missing several clear opportunities against Chelsea. The team also failed to score in three consecutive home games for the first time since October 1998, two of which occurred under Postecoglou.

Defensively, Forest were equally poor, conceding 11 goals from set-pieces during his short spell, more than twice as many as any other Premier League side in that period.

The way his dismissal unfolded was unusually fast and harsh. After the final whistle, Postecoglou went straight down the tunnel without speaking to the media. Minutes later, he had left the stadium, and the club issued a brief 39-word statement confirming his exit.

Shortly after, Forest players were called into a meeting in the boardroom at the City Ground. They later held a private players-only discussion in the dressing room that lasted about an hour.

Sky Sports reporter Zinny Boswell described the decision as “one of the most brutal sackings of the Premier League era.” He said, “I have never seen a coach lose their job before they could even do their post-match interviews.”

Boswell added that while the timing was shocking, it was not surprising given owner Evangelos Marinakis’ reputation for quick decisions. Marinakis reportedly left his seat when Forest went 2–0 down against Chelsea, likely to begin arranging Postecoglou’s dismissal.

Source: Sky Sports