Ange Postecoglou is expected to remain in charge of Nottingham Forest for Sunday’s game against Newcastle United — but a poor performance could lead the club’s hierarchy to review his position during the international break.
The former Tottenham Hotspur head coach has failed to win any of his six games in charge and the City Ground home support turned on him only 23 days into his reign during Thursday’s 3-2 defeat by the Danish side Midtjylland in the Europa League, with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.
The 60-year-old said he does not let scrutiny or criticism bother him and believes he has what it takes to turn Forest’s fortunes around.
“I love the fight. This is not unfamiliar territory for me,” he said. “I’ve often had sticky and uncomfortable beginnings but all those stories ended well.”
Marinakis, in the stands at the City Ground on Thursday, can hardly bare to watch Forest’s latest failing under Postecoglou
ROBBIE JAY BARRATT – AMA/GETTY IMAGES
Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest owner, was present at the City Ground on Thursday night as the atmosphere turned toxic. It is understood there is no intention to make a drastic change and that the Australian will be in charge against Newcastle at St James’ Park, but there is an appreciation from all sides that he needs to start getting results.
Postecoglou said he had received no assurances from Marinakis over his position but had not spoken to him since the latest defeat.
“He wants his team to win. His only comment to me was, ‘How can we help you?’ That’s all you need to know,” the Forest head coach said. “He wants to help. He asked me whether I needed anything. Did I need any other support? From my perspective, that’s all you need to know.
“I don’t expect him to be happy about the current situation but neither am I. From that point of view, there’s clear understanding.
“The reality is there’s very little they can do. It’s in my hands. They’re doing all they can. I’m the one that’s responsible for changing the club’s fortunes.”
The international break after the Newcastle game gives the Forest hierarchy time to reflect on his first month in charge, in which he has only picked up one point in the league, been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by the Championship side Swansea City, and drawn away to Real Betis in the Europa League before the embarrassing defeat by Midtjylland.
Marinakis previously showed he is not afraid to dispense with managers after a short amount of time in charge, with Carlos Corberán lasting only 11 matches at the Greek club he owns, Olympiacos.
Postecoglou isn’t helped by Forest having not won in the league since the opening day of the season, leaving them 17th in the table, but there is an understanding that he has not had much time on the training ground with his players since replacing Nuno Espírito Santo last month. He has tried to change their style of play to a more attacking, possession-based approach during that short period.
Elliot Anderson avoids a high-flying boot during the defeat by Midtjylland that prompted unrest in the stands
JAY BARRATT – AMA/GETTY IMAGES
There isn’t a sense of panic around the appointment, with a feeling that Postecoglou has fallen the wrong side of some fine margins. Aside from a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in his first match, which came after only one training session, there have been positive moments in all the games that have followed, though there have also been some causes for alarm.
In last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Sunderland Forest had 22 shots on goal but couldn’t find the target. It was a similar story against Midtjylland, despite their two goals. Against Betis in Spain the week before they looked impressive in the first half and should have seen the result out before a late equaliser. There is still optimism at Forest that things will click into place.
But the fact that Postecoglou has become the first permanent Forest manager for 100 years to fail to win any of his first six games is bound to bring scrutiny, especially when the fans have turned so soon. The City Ground faithful have shown in the past they need to be won over and it took Nuno a while to replace his predecessor, Steve Cooper, in the hearts of those fans. Results like that of Thursday won’t help Postecoglou do the same.
There are other mitigating circumstances. Postecoglou has been without Forest’s best two defenders from last season, with Ola Aina sidelined and Murillo only being able to feature for 28 minutes since he arrived. But sympathy runs thin when the fans see their side conceding so easily from set pieces.
Nuno had worked hard on eradicating the issue which had plagued the end of the Cooper era and now it appears to have returned. Six of the 13 goals Forest have conceded under Postecoglou have come from dead-ball situations and they are yet to keep a clean sheet under him.
The players are understood to be excited about the freedom that his style of play affords them but have spoken about the difficulty of adapting with barely any time together on the training pitch amid a relentless schedule.
Key parts of Postecoglou’s philosophy have been adopted already. Average possession per game is up from 43.1 per cent to 55.7 per cent and they average nearly 200 more passes per game, have more touches in the opposition box and boast a higher expected goals tally, but they are missing something fundamental in the penalty area — that finishing touch.
Marinakis will desperately want the appointment of the Greek-born Postecoglou to succeed and so would be reluctant to dispense so quickly with a coach he believed was the perfect fit to bring Forest the success and trophy he craves. But with that burning ambition, for how much longer will Postecoglou be given the benefit of the doubt and time to turn things around?
A positive result on Sunday is imperative, to at least help alleviate the mounting pressure.