Ange Postecoglou is battling to keep his job at Nottingham Forest after a catastrophic start to life at The City Ground. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as the Reds' new manager last month, but he's failed to win any of his first six games across all competitions.
Forest suffered a 3-2 home defeat to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday night, with supporters chanting, 'you're getting sacked in the morning', following the Danish outfit's third strike. Resounding jeers echoed around the stadium at the final whistle, with the supporters' response setting off warning signals amongst the hierarchy.
According to The Telegraph, Postecoglou's future at the club is under threat, less than four weeks after his appointment, with Evangelos Marinakis increasingly concerned about results and performances. While Sunday afternoon's clash against Newcastle United presents a challenging test, it's said that another disappointing display and defeat could result in the 60-year-old's dismissal.
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Marinakis has the power to make the final decision. That said, he'll likely consult chief football officer Ross Wilson and former Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar, who joined Forest as global head of football earlier this year before his disagreement with Espirito Santo.
Despite the speculation surrounding Postecoglou's position, the Mirror claim Forest remain committed to their upcoming fixture against Newcastle. The report claims they're determined to back the former Spurs boss at this time.
Postecoglou has managed two draws whilst suffering four defeats since taking charge at Forest on September 9. His tenure began with a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, and it was closely followed by another setback against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup.
Two encouraging performances and outcomes followed as Forest travelled to Burnley and secured a 1-1 stalemate before heading to Seville and earning a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Real Betis. It looked as though Postecoglou and Forest had reached a turning point, but consecutive defeats at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland have ramped up the pressure.
Speaking to reporters after Forest's first European home defeat in 29 years, Postecoglou said: "Really disappointing. Just really, really poor goals we conceded in the first half that again allow the opposition to get comfortable in the game and it's been the story of our last few games.
"Key moments let ourselves down. We knew the threat they provided. It wasn't anything organisationally, it's just in those moments we haven't shared the same desire and determination as the opposition."
In an exclusive interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Daniel Levy explained why Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham. The former Spurs chairman claimed that the decision to let the the former Celtic boss go was data-driven.
“Ultimately, the decision sits with me, but it's always a collective decision," said the Tottenham chairman. "We have a board of directors, but under the board, we have a group of technical staff, and they advise.
"We had to explain the decision to part ways with Ange. Ange just won us a trophy – a European trophy – highly significant and he's always going to be in our history."
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