🔗 Share this article

Taking over from a team hero was consistently going to be a tough task, but the previous manager managed to pull off a shrewd strategy after the former coach’s exit: winning his initial pair of fixtures. A great deal is forgotten about the opening six months of Nuno’s tenure, when the team stayed up just one position above the drop zone and endured a stretch of winning only one time in 10 Premier League matches.

Nuno had done the vital job of raising team spirit and winning over the supporters by defeating an opponent away and creating excitement by overcoming a major rival at their own ground, and no one was calling for style points. The City Ground was buzzing in late December 2023, and local supporters did not mind that they witnessed only two more wins there for the rest of the season.

Nottingham Forest supporters call for the manager axe after 23 days following European defeat.

Ange Postecoglou is yet to experience a win, making him the initial Forest manager in a hundred years to fail to secure a victory in any of their first six games. There was a poisonous mood at the City Ground on Thursday night as they succumbed to the runner-up team in Denmark. When fans are demanding your dismissal after 23 days, it is reasonable to say the situation are not going well. On Friday there were no plans to fire Postecoglou but a defeat at St James’ Park on Sunday could cost him his job.

Everyone at the club understood there would be a phase of transition because the Australian’s tactical approach is almost a complete contrast to the one his predecessor finely tuned there. The strategy was evolving under the former coach but not at the speed the new boss is trying to implement.

Starting with a series of road matches was always going to be a tough challenge for Postecoglou. Kicking off at Arsenal meant generating momentum from the outset was unlikely but losing at Swansea in the Carabao Cup and drawing at another opponent put Postecoglou on the defensive. The match at a Spanish club appeared to be a turning point because the showing was strong and fitting with anticipations regarding Postecoglou’s style. The methods were sound and, but for a late Antony goal, takeoff would have commenced.

Instead Forest are still stuck. If Postecoglou could have been excused for the performances on the road, losing at their stadium to a visiting team and a European side was never part of the thinking. There was a degree of explanation in the initial City Ground defeat: a soft set-piece award that led to the decisive goal and poor finishing from Forest meant the result went back to the north-east. Forest had nearly the majority of possession and 22 shots but beating an rival on xG is meaningless.

Ange Postecoglou and Neco Williams will aim to turn Nottingham Forest’s results around at the next venue on the upcoming matchday.

There was a belief that when the forwards found form, all aspects would be fine but poor conversion is only a single of the problems facing the boss. The robust defensive unit built by Nuno has been taken apart, leaving Postecoglou still waiting for a shutout. Defending set pieces has been an issue, two of the opponent’s goals coming from them, and the remaining goal Forest let in was from a counterattack, the sort that were a common feature during his time at his former club.

Postecoglou was keen to return to work promptly after being sacked by Tottenham, especially with a European winner’s medal around his neck. He wanted to prove people wrong and Forest presented that opportunity, with the added bonus of being in the competition he had triumphed in in May. The Hellenic connection with Forest’s owner, the club’s chief, helped make the appointment smooth and Postecoglou, in spite of his detractors, does have the qualifications required – but pragmatism was unlikely to be part of the equation.

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the latest perspective on the world of football.

The former manager was not fired for sporting reasons but for picking a dispute with the owner that he was never going to prevail in. Finishing seventh and taking Forest into Europe made Nuno incredibly popular. In spite of his gripes, a team able of finishing in the top half was put together and plenty of money was spent. After excessive immediate thinking at Forest, they had a clear future plan and approach, which featured a squad that fit Nuno. Now it seems as if a stepdad has moved into the home and the residents are displeased.

Visits to Newcastle and Bournemouth bookend the home game of Chelsea in the next three league games, suggesting the situation is only going to get more difficult. The owner made the selection with his heart and is urgently hoping to prevent another sacking because removing Postecoglou would be an acknowledgment that he made two terrible choices in dismissing Nuno and choosing the successor. The sport is one big popularity contest and the ex-boss started gaining his at the away ground. Postecoglou needs to do the same or he risks forfeiting his for good.