Nottingham Forest have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou just 39 days after his appointment, following a poor run of results that saw the team fail to win any of his eight games in charge.
The final straw came on Saturday when Forest suffered a 3–0 home defeat to Chelsea, their sixth loss under the Australian coach. The result left the club sitting 17th in the Premier League table.
In a short statement released less than 20 minutes after full-time, the club said:
“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.”
Postecoglou’s dismissal marks the shortest spell for any permanent Premier League manager to leave during a season.
He replaced Nuno Espirito Santo earlier this year, hoping to bring a more attacking style of play to the team. However, his time at Forest was marred by defeats, including a 3–2 Carabao Cup loss to Swansea, where his side threw away a two-goal lead, and a Europa League defeat to Midtjylland at home — a result that angered fans and the club’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis.
Reports last week suggested Marinakis had already started searching for replacements. The owner was seen leaving his seat midway through the second half of the Chelsea match with his side trailing 2–0.
Before the game, Postecoglou had defended his record, saying he felt misunderstood and unfairly judged.
“I guess from my perspective, I just don’t fit. Not here. Just in general,” he said. “Maybe I’m a manager where, if given time, the story always ends the same — with a trophy.”
Postecoglou had previously been sacked by Tottenham despite winning the Europa League, with the club unhappy about their 17th-place finish in the Premier League.
Forest are now expected to look for a new manager who will adopt a more defensive and stable approach as they try to climb out of the bottom half of the table.
