Ange Postecoglou won the Europa League with Tottenham last season
Ange Postecoglou remained resolute as Nottingham Forest supporters voiced calls for his dismissal, just weeks into his tenure.
A damaging 3-2 Europa League defeat at the hands of Midtjylland leaves Postecoglou still searching for his first victory after six matches in charge of Forest.
He has become the first permanent Forest manager in a century to fail to secure a win in his opening half-dozen games.
Following Valdemar Byskov’s late decisive goal for the visitors at the City Ground, a significant portion of the Forest faithful chanted “You’re getting sacked in the morning” directed at the former Tottenham Hotspur manager.
“The fans are disappointed. They are entitled to their opinion, and I heard it,” said a visibly dejected Postecoglou, who was also subjected to jeers as he made his way to the tunnel at the final whistle.
“Nothing surprises me in football. It’s the current climate. It seems that’s the trend. It’s beyond my control.”
It was only four months ago that Postecoglou lifted this trophy with Spurs, before his dismissal 16 days later, after a difficult domestic campaign. Now, he is struggling to achieve positive results at another club.
The first European fixture at the City Ground in 29 years culminated in profound disappointment, with Postecoglou bearing the brunt of the blame even before the match concluded.
Adding insult to injury, supporters then sang in praise of Postecoglou’s predecessor, Nuno Espirito Santo, now with West Ham United.
Nuno led Forest to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season before being sacked following a breakdown in his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
The defeat to Midtjylland followed Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Sunderland in league play.
These results have significantly altered the atmosphere at Forest, with some supporters beginning to question Marinakis’s leadership.
“My responsibility is to ensure that we secure victories for this football club and drive it forward,” Postecoglou stated.
“Ideally, I’d prefer people to be optimistic about my efforts. The only way I can change their perception is by winning football matches.
“Regardless, it won’t alter my approach. I firmly believe in the process we’re implementing, and I don’t believe we’re far from becoming the team that can overcome our current situation and deliver results.”
Forest spent approximately £180 million in the summer transfer window, aiming to build on last season’s achievements, but Nuno was dismissed last month after his relationship with Marinakis deteriorated.
Postecoglou succeeded him on September 9th, but Forest have struggled to maintain last season’s momentum and faced difficulties against their opponents from the Danish Superliga.
The Australian head coach remains confident that his team is close to a breakthrough.
“Yes, I do, and nothing I saw tonight changes that,” Postecoglou affirmed. “I understand that the prevailing mood isn’t positive, and I understand people’s attitude, particularly towards me, but this isn’t unfamiliar territory for me.
“I believe we’re on the right track, and once we navigate this period of uncertainty, we’ll be on a positive trajectory.”
Chris Wood’s stoppage-time penalty proved insufficient to rescue Forest, who had earlier conceded goals from Ousmane Diao and Mads Bech in the first half, either side of Dan Ndoye’s equaliser.
Forest drew 2-2 with Real Betis last week and will face Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday before the international break.
Postecoglou commented: “It’s a very disappointing outcome for us. It was an important night for several reasons and [a] similar story, we let ourselves down in critical moments, creating a significant challenge.
“If you afford the opposition opportunities to score every time they approach your goal, it will be challenging to win matches.”
Postecoglou taunted by Forest fans in defeat by Danes
It is well-known that Marinakis is not hesitant to make swift changes if he feels that things are not progressing as desired.
At Olympiacos, he dismissed former Huddersfield manager Carlos Corberan after just 48 days in charge, while Nuno’s departure occurred mere weeks after signing a new three-year contract.
Now, Postecoglou finds himself under increased scrutiny.
“I believe he will be afforded additional time because he was appointed by the owner,” former Forest and West Ham striker Michail Antonio observed on TNT Sports.
“He will give him more time to implement his philosophy, as it currently appears that he is struggling to convey his tactics to the players.”
Former Forest and Leicester boss Martin O’Neill added: “Wins are paramount – it’s as simple as that.
“The crowd were already predisposed against him in some respects, but after only six games, you’d barely know the name of the tea lady.”
On the boos, O’Neill added: “You have to manage the surrounding noise. You can’t let it dictate everything, but you can’t ignore it.”
Comments can not be loaded
To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser