Ange

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Nottingham Forest following the side’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at the City Ground.

The Australian’s dismissal – 39 days after his appointment on 9 September – means Postecoglou’s stint at Forest is the shortest permanent managerial reign in Premier League history.

The former Tottenham boss failed to win any of his eight matches in charge of Forest, with two draws and six defeats across all competitions.

Forest collected just one point from Postecoglou’s five Premier League matches in charge, leaving the side one point above the relegation zone in 17th.

“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,” a Forest statement read.

“The club will make no further comment at this time.”

The due diligence already completed towards Postecoglou’s possible replacement provides a clear indication of the jeopardy the Australian faces.

It would be hard for any manager to change the direction of travel in these circumstances.

Of course, Postecoglou will back himself to turn it around. That’s his nature.

Speaking in his pre-match news conference on Friday, he said: “Some look at the weeds but I look at what is growing. I am really excited as I have a group of young players willing to change.

“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’s lucky to get this job’ then of course this first five weeks looks like ‘this guy’s under pressure’. There is an alternative story that you could look at it.”

Owner Marinakis wants him to succeed, having backed Postecoglou’s track record of winning silverware as one of the key factors in why he appointed him in the first place.

Indeed, prior to their previous Premier League outing against Newcastle – that resulted in a 2-0 loss – well-placed sources told BBC Sport Postecoglou still maintained the immediate backing of the Forest owner.

There was, though, recognition that the result and manner of performance at St James’ Park would have a key influence on how Marinakis viewed his manager’s future.

Likewise, there is a feeling Postecoglou has not been helped by refereeing decisions.

For instance, during the Europa League defeat by FC Midtjylland – during which supporters turned on Postecoglou – earlier this month, there was a feeling as many as 14 key decisions went against Forest.

But with that said, the internal scrutiny on Postecoglou is intense.

Victory over Chelsea could mean he takes the first step towards what appears an unlikely road to recovery at Forest.

Lose the game, and the writing is already on the wall.

Match of the Day’s Joe Hart talks about his experience playing under Ange Postecoglou at Celtic to explain why he should be given more time at Nottingham Forest despite a winless start.

READ MORE: Postecoglou ‘expects’ talks with Forest owner and vows to ‘fight’

ANGE POSTECOGLOU fears he will be SACKED if Nottingham Forest lose to Newcastle — just 24 days after he took charge.

The former Tottenham boss is yet to win a single game since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo.

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And he believes he is now on the brink at the City Ground — despite publicly claiming he’s not thinking about the sack.

Postecoglou’s latest setback saw Forest lose 3-2 at home to Midtjylland in the Europa League last night.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis had a face like thunder as supporters booed the dismal performance while calling for the manager’s head.

Postecoglou is now the first Forest boss in 100 years to fail to win any of his opening six matches.

And SunSport understands that the Aussie fears he will be sacked for a second time in four months should Forest lose to Newcastle this weekend.

Postecoglou was given the chop by Spurs in June just days after leading the Londoners to Europa League glory.

He was drafted by Marinakis in September following the Forest owner’s fallout with former boss Nuno.

But another change at the helm is now being considered after defeats to Arsenal, Swansea and Sunderland in September.

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Postecoglou’s other two games saw him draw against Burnley and Real Betis.

However, he maintains he is not thinking about an exit and is hopeful of getting a result against Newcastle.

Postecoglou said on Friday: “I get it. It’s a valid assumption in modern football there’s always a manager under pressure, that’s part and parcel of what we do. 

“I don’t think that way. I knew I was getting sacked at Tottenham three or four months before I did. 

“It didn’t stop me winning something. It doesn’t enter my head. If I start worrying about what’s going to happen next week, I’m not performing the role I’ve been given. 

“It’s not helpful to anyone. The things I control are the environment training, the way we play. I am strong in my belief we are not too far away.”

Ange Postecoglou says his Nottingham Forest players got too “comfortable” after Championship side Swansea scored twice in stoppage time to knock them out of the Carabao Cup.

Two first-half goals from Igor Jesus had put the Premier League side firmly in control of their third-round tie.

However, a Cameron Burgess goal gave the Swans hope and, in a stunning finale, Zan Vipotnik levelled before Australia international Burgess scored his second to send the 2013 winners into the last 16.

“We had to finish them off and we had plenty of opportunities to do that, and a couple of decisions didn’t go our way,” said Forest boss Postecoglou.

“I think the lads got a bit comfortable in that moment and you’ve got to know the warning signs.

“Players just thought it would naturally finish that way and we’ve paid a heavy price for that. We need to improve.”

The former Spurs boss had promised this would be the night fans started to see his imprint on the side he inherited from Nuno Espirito Santo at the City Ground.

Instead, Forest conceded three for a second game in a row under Postecoglou, who added: “Tonight was a great opportunity for us to progress in a cup and give ourselves an opportunity to that success – and to let it slip is hugely disappointing.

“But it doesn’t change anything – we understand some of the things we have to work on.”

Towards the end of his spell at Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou was embattled, despite guiding Spurs to the Europa League final.

After beating Bodo/Glimt in Norway in May, he was combative in response to questions about whether winning the competition would save Spurs’ season.

Those who have worked with him feel that was down to the pressure. He dealt with it by firing back to his critics and doubters.

Fast forward to now, and the 60-year-old was relaxed in the City Ground press room, joking about how his birthday celebrations at the weekend were interrupted by negotiations with Forest and how the school run was the best motivator to return to work.

But there was the importance of winning – and winning trophies. It will not have escaped anyone’s attention owner Evangelos Marinakis referenced winning trophies in his statement announcing Postecoglou’s arrival.

So the pressure at Forest will be there – maybe not to the extent it was at Spurs – but he has been brought to the City Ground to progress the team and club.

Forest have not spent £180m this summer and installed Postecoglou in order to go backwards after last season’s seventh-place finish.

While winning the Premier League is out of reach, the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup will all be seen as legitimate targets.

Forest have not won a major trophy since lifting the League Cup in 1990.

Postecoglou has pedigree. He has won trophies throughout his career, including two Scottish titles with Celtic and the Asian Cup with Australia, and there will be an immediate expectation for Forest to challenge for silverware again.

BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton says Ange Postecoglou will have learned from his time at Tottenham and will adapt his playing style to suit the squad at Nottingham Forest after being named manager.

READ MORE: ‘We want trophies’ – Postecoglou replaces Nuno at Forest

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Spurs lost 22 of their 38 league matches last season, accumulating only 38 points as they finished 17th – their worst finish in the Premier League.

They conceded 65 goals, with only Wolves and the relegated trio of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton shipping more.

But Postecoglou led the club to a first major trophy in 17 years with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final.

The victory secured Champions League football, but it was not enough to keep Postecoglou in a job and he was sacked by the club 16 days later.

Spurs, who appointed Thomas Frank as his successor, said Postecoglou would be remembered for delivering “one of the club’s greatest moments” in becoming only the third manager to win them a European trophy.

Tottenham finished fifth in his first season in charge before he kept his promise to provide silverware in his second year.

Postecoglou was initially praised for the attacking style he implemented, but he was forced to defend himself from criticism for sticking to his principles and had to contend with a catalogue of injuries to key players.

ANGE POSTECOGLOU sent a heartwarming text message to Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma.

The Aussie boss was sacked on Friday – just 16 days after leading Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years as they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final.

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However, a woeful Premier League campaign which saw the club finish 17th and record 22 losses meant his position was ultimately untenable.

Many of the Tottenham squad – including captain Son Heung-min and James Maddison – were quick to post emotional messages of gratitude to Postecoglou.

And Bissouma has now revealed his own WhatsApp exchange with his former manager on Snapchat.

The conversation begins with Postecoglou writing: “Hi Biss. Sorry I missed your call. I am very proud of you.

“It was an honour to share a dressing room with you and appreciate how much you believed in what we were trying to achieve. 

“I wish you only the best for the future. I will always be following. Much love from my family to yours.’

Bissouma replied just over an hour later with: “Thank you gaffer and thank you really much for everything on and off the pitch I’ll always be grateful.

“The way you believed me and trusted me was incredible. I’m gonna miss you but it’s football life.

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“Got a lot to be said but I think you know what I’m thinking about you already so I’m just wishing you all the best for the future and may God protect you and your family. #bigboss love.”

The exchange ended with the 59-year-old responding: “Always by your side Biss 🙏.”

Bissouma was one of the best players on the pitch during Spurs’ Europa League final win 16 days before Postecoglou was axed, and has the former Celtic boss saved as ‘Big Ange’ in his phone.

The heartfelt farewell exchange indicates how popular Postecoglou was with his players who are reportedly furious with the decision to sack him.

SunSport exclusively revealed that Brentford manager Thomas Frank has agreed to replace Postecoglou.

Spurs will have to pay a hefty compensation fee for the Dane, and are also interested in taking Bryan Mbeumo with him.

Frank is set to be Bissouma’s third manager since he joined Antonio Conte’s Spurs from Brighton in June 2022.

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Tottenham’s decision to sack the man who guided them to a first trophy since 2008 will divide opinion across their fanbase.

He becomes the fourth Spurs manager – after Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte – to lose his job since Pochettino was sacked in November 2019, less than four months after taking them to the Champions League final.

Postecoglou’s reign began in spectacular fashion, despite the exit of the club’s all-time leading scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.

Spurs set the pace in the early stages of the 2023-24 Premier League season by taking 26 points from their first 10 games, with former Australia boss Postecoglou winning three consecutive manager of the month awards.

But five defeats in their final seven matches cost them a spot in the Champions League 12 months ago, and things continued to unravel – Europe aside – in 2024-25.

Postecoglou, who was initially praised for the attacking style he implemented, was forced to defend himself from criticism for sticking to his principles and had to contend with a catalogue of injuries to key players.

Aside from their run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, where they were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool after taking a slender one-goal lead to Anfield, they have struggled in domestic competition.

Since 6 November 2023, Spurs have collected 78 points from 66 top-flight games – the 16th best record in the Premier League.

They scored 64 goals last season – as many as fourth-placed Chelsea, and more than Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in sixth and seventh – but conceded 65, with only Wolves and the relegated trio of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton shipping more.

Ange Postecoglou says his team have had an “outstanding” season by winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League, depite their 4-1 defeat by Brighton leaving Tottenham finishing the Premier League campaign in 17th place.

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Tottenham’s victory sparked emotional scenes among their fans, with the club set to have an open-top bus parade on Friday before their final Premier League game of the season at home to Brighton.

By winning the Europa League, Spurs will also have a chance to win the Uefa Super Cup when they face the Champions League winners, either Inter Milan or Paris-St Germain, on 13 August in Italy.

However, whether Postecoglou is still in charge of the club then is unknown.

“I would be disappointed if we don’t continue on this path,” he added in the post-match news conference. “It is difficult to buy into one person’s vision. I have been a serial winner. I know people dismiss what I have won because it didn’t happen here, but they were hard earned.

“There is huge relief. You carry the weight of responsibility and 150 times I have been a spokesman for this club.

“There are no planned meetings. I’ll go back to my hotel room with friends and family, open up a nice bottle of scotch, a massive parade on Friday, game on Sunday against Brighton and then holiday. Then que sera, sera.”

Postecoglou joined Tottenham in June 2023, having won five trophies in two seasons at Celtic, including back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles.

In September, he said he “always wins things in his second season,” a statement which was true when he had been in charge of clubs for two full seasons.

He maintained that record in Bilbao and said: “People misinterpreted me. It was not me boasting, just me making a declaration and I believed it. I had this thing inside me more than anything else.

“I know our league form has been unacceptable, but coming third was not going to change this football club, winning a trophy would, that was my ambition and I was prepared to wear it if it did not happen.

“People kept reminding me of it because we were getting closer but I’m happy with that.”

Speak to those behind the scenes and they will explain injuries have been the most pertinent factor behind Tottenham’s predicament.

Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Guglielmo Vicario among many others have spent extended spells on the sidelines this season – many of them with muscular issues.

James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Kulusevski were all unavailable in Bilbao. Son started on the bench because he was deemed unfit having only recently returned from injury.

Indeed, multiple sources have told BBC Sport that the club’s crippling injury record has been at the centre of some friction between members of the coaching team and medical and strength and conditioning staff over the course of the season.

“It’s been the blame game,” one well-placed source said.

According to sources, Richarlison’s injury-disrupted campaign has proved a bone of contention, particularly in the aftermath of the 4-0 Carabao Cup defeat by Liverpool in February when, having only recently returned from respective hamstring and groin injuries, the Brazil international suffered a subsequent calf injury.

There have been other examples this season where Postecoglou’s team and the medical and fitness department haven’t seen eye-to-eye.

Has Postecoglou pushed players too hard? Or are the strength and conditioning and medical departments at fault? The answers will vary depending on who you speak to.

Interestingly, it is understood there were similar strains during Postecoglou’s reign at Celtic, with medical staff and the manager not always aligned.

It’s pertinent to add that those tensions at Tottenham have eased in recent weeks as the club’s walking wounded returned to availability, while Postecoglou has sought to factor in more days off for his players in recent months – their elimination from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup allowing him extra leeway.

Nevertheless, the sheer number of muscular injuries the club have suffered this season indicates an issue that requires rectifying.

As is normal at the end of the season, Tottenham will review the campaign with a view to making departmental improvements ahead of the next.

With the incoming arrival of Vinai Venkatesham as new CEO, it’s probable that current chief football officer Scott Munn’s position will come under scrutiny at the end of the season.

Tottenham have also held talks with former managing director of football Fabio Paratici over a return to the club following his exit in 2023 after an appeal against a two-and-a-half-year Fifa ban for alleged financial irregularities while at Juventus was rejected by Italy’s highest sports court.

It is also fair to assume the club’s horrendous injury record will be part of the review process.

The upside of the club’s injury issues has been the development of 19-year-olds Bergvall and Archie Gray this season.

Both teenagers were expected to be eased into first-team duty this season – but the pair have made 88 appearances between them so far.

While there is acknowledgement that the experience will be invaluable to the development of both players, there is also an acceptance that the situation has been far from ideal for a club expected to be challenging for a top-five spot.