Breaking News: Postecoglou is sacked after Forest lost 0:3 at home to Chelsea on Saturday night
The context
Ange Postecoglou was appointed head coach of Nottingham Forest on 9 September 2025, replacing Nuno Espírito Santo. His arrival followed a period of relative optimism at the club: Forest had finished in a European qualifying position (seventh) the previous season and had invested significantly in the playing squad.
The club’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, and the sporting leadership were ambitious. They intended to move the club beyond merely surviving in the Premier League, to competing with the higher-end of the table. But that ambition also brought pressure.
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The match & immediate trigger
On 18 October 2025, Nottingham Forest hosted Chelsea at the City Ground. The match ended in a 3-0 defeat for Forest. Chelsea’s goals came as follows:
At 49 minutes Josh Acheampong headed home from a Pedro Neto cross.
A few minutes later Neto himself scored from a free-kick past Forest’s keeper.
Then at 84 minutes Reece James sealed it via a corner.
Meanwhile, Forest had started the game reasonably: they had chances and looked okay in the first half, yet failed to capitalise. After half-time their resistance collapsed.
The result left Forest just above the relegation places (17th) and in real danger given their poor run.
Shortly after the full-time whistle, and indeed just around 18 minutes later, the club confirmed that Postecoglou had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.
This swift decision (minutes after the match) signalled the club’s intolerance of further poor results.
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The tenure and record
Postecoglou’s stint lasted just 39 days (or in some sources “40 days”) — making it arguably the shortest for a permanent manager in Premier League history (for a non-interim).
During his time in charge he faced eight games and failed to win any of them. He drew two matches (including at Burnley and against Real Betis in Europa League) and lost the rest.
Consequently:
He became the first Forest manager to fail to win any of his first eight matches in charge.
The club’s form plunged: from a team finishing 7th, into survival mode.
Given the investment in players and the ambition, this start was judged unacceptable.
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Why did things go wrong?
Several factors contributed to the downfall, both apparent and underlying:
1. Defensive frailty & poor second-half collapses: Forest looked decent early on in matches but consistently crumbled after half-time. In the match versus Chelsea, they were “good” in the first half but lost control after the break. Their set-piece defending, especially conceding from corners/free-kicks, was repeatedly highlighted as weak.
2. Goalscoring and missed chances: Forest had opportunities but lacked cutting edge. In the Chelsea game they had a few clear chances (e.g., Neco Williams volley over, Igor Jesus hitting bar and post) but could not convert.
3. High expectations & short fuse: The club’s ambition, the big investment and earlier season success meant tolerance for early poor form was low. Postecoglou himself acknowledged that his second year is where success normally comes; he asked for patience. But the club clearly opted for change quickly.
4. Fan unrest and pressure: There were growing signs of discontent among supporters. The unhappy home crowd at the Chelsea match, the leaving of the owner’s seat during the match, all pointed to an atmosphere of crisis.
5. Mismatch of style and resources/time: Postecoglou is known for an expansive attacking style (his time at Celtic, Tottenham etc.). But implementing such a style requires time, adaptation, good recruitment and patience. Given Forest’s immediate need to avoid the drop, the joint of style + urgency may not have aligned.
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Implications for Forest
The sacking has several immediate and potential longer-term consequences:
Instability: Having sacked another manager so early (Nuno was dismissed barely three weeks earlier) the club is again in the market for a new boss. Frequent managerial changes tend to destabilise squads and make long-term planning difficult.
Financial cost and risk: Paying off managers, searching for replacements, and maintaining Premier League survival all come with high cost. If the new manager fails and relegation happens, the financial consequences are severe.
Relegation threat: The timing of the sacking shows how precarious the club is: just 17th, few points on the board, morale low. The incoming manager inherits a club in crisis.
Recruitment and identity question: Who will Forest appoint next? Will they go for a pragmatic survival-oriented coach, or try to stick with the attacking identity that Postecoglou brought? That decision will shape the club’s trajectory.
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What about Postecoglou?
For Postecoglou personally, this is a major setback:
He had built an impressive resume: successful spells in Australia, Japan, Scotland (with Celtic), and a trophy (Europa League) won with Tottenham.
This move to Forest was an ambitious undertaking but ended quickly due to circumstances and results.
In his pre‐match comments he had emphasised needing time and confidence to deliver trophies, but the club did not grant that window.
While it will be viewed as a failure, the context is important: a club with high expectations, large squad turnover, and limited time. The balancing act of results vs process is clear.
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Lessons and broader observations
Time vs urgency: In modern Premier League football, clubs often face a dilemma: build for the future or act quickly to avoid short-term pain (relegation, fan anger). Forest opted for urgency.
Risk of big investments without stability: The club invested in players and had ambitions, but perhaps did not give the manager enough runway to embed a new system.
Managerial turnover cost: High turnover can create a vicious cycle. Changing the manager often is seen as the solution, but frequent changes may harm squad belief and identity.
Pressure at the top: Owners and boards have less patience when things go wrong quickly. For fans, results matter fast. For owners, relegation risk is existential.
Style vs survival: Some clubs opt for survival-first, pragmatic managers; others for attacking style with risk. Forest’s appointment of a style-driven coach like Postecoglou suggests the latter, but the result showed the survival threat may have demanded the former.
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Conclusion
The sacking of Ange Postecoglou by Nottingham Forest just minutes after the 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea is a dramatic chapter in Premier League management. It underscores how quickly things can unravel when results don’t follow, even with a decorated manager. Forest’s ambitions, investments and expectations collided with poor form, defensive frailty and fan pressure—leading to a decision that highlights the unforgiving nature of top‐flight football.
For Forest, the challenge now is significant: find a manager who can steady the ship, stabilize results, and ideally rebuild. For Postecoglou, this will be a moment of reflection: how to pick his next role, what lessons to draw, and how to bounce back.
The match with Chelsea was the tipping point, but the underlying issues had long been accumulating. The gamble of appointing a high‐profile, attacking coach without immediate results proved too risky for a club in danger. Time will tell whether Forest’s next move is the right one, and how Postecoglou responds in his next endeavour.
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