Nottingham Forest’s brief experiment with Ange Postecoglou has come to a dramatic end.
Just 39 days into his tenure, the club has decided to part ways with the Australian manager following a string of disappointing results, culminating in a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at the City Ground on Saturday lunchtime.
Postecoglou leaves Forest having endured eight winless games, making him the shortest-serving permanent Premier League manager to leave a club during a season.
The Reds sit 17th in the table, still searching for the form that might save them from an early-season slump.
A Statement That Spoke Volumes
Only 19 minutes after full-time against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest released a succinct statement:
“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.”
For a manager who arrived with high hopes of implementing a more attacking style of play than his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo, the early results quickly eroded confidence.
Struggles From the Start
Postecoglou’s reign began with a defeat at Arsenal, followed by a 3-2 Carabao Cup loss at Swansea, where Forest threw away a two-goal lead.
Matters worsened with a Europa League defeat to Midtjylland at the City Ground — an outing that visibly frustrated owner Evangelos Marinakis and saw home supporters turn against the manager.
Defeats at Newcastle and Chelsea appeared to be the final straw, with reports surfacing last week that the club was already considering replacements.
Postecoglou had admitted before the Chelsea match that he hadn’t held talks with Marinakis over the international break, despite anticipating discussions after the Newcastle defeat.
Marinakis eventually left the stadium midway through the second half with Forest 2-0 down.
A Track Record of Success Overshadowed
Postecoglou, 60, has a history of delivering silverware.
He previously led Tottenham to a Europa League title, but was dismissed after a disappointing 17th-place Premier League finish.
At Forest, his main brief was ambitious: secure a second consecutive Europa League triumph, which would have guaranteed Champions League football next season.
Despite his short stint, Postecoglou defended his record and approach passionately, highlighting the lack of context around his career:
“I guess from my perspective, I just don’t fit. Not here. Just in general…
If you look at it through the prism of: I’m a failed manager who is lucky to get this job — I know you’re smirking at me — then of course it looks like this manager is under pressure.”
He reflected on his Tottenham tenure, where he took a team that had finished eighth without European football to fifth in his first year, winning a trophy in the process.
Yet critics have focused on perceived failures rather than successes.
Time Was Not on Forest’s Side
Forest’s decision to axe Postecoglou reflects a preference for short-term stability over long-term experimentation.
While the manager has historically delivered trophies and successes at his previous clubs, Forest appear ready to move in a different direction, likely favoring a more conservative style of play.
For Postecoglou, the episode underscores a recurring pattern in his career: success on the pitch sometimes comes too late to appease impatient club hierarchies.
At Forest, 39 days was all the time he was given to try to change the narrative.