The fate of Ange Postecoglou as the Nottingham Forest head coach was reportedly under threat before his team traveled to face Newcastle on Sunday, and it was said that if they returned from the Tyneside without any points, the club hierarchy would be likely to consider sacking the Australian and working to replace him over the international break.
That has now happened, with Bruno Guimaraes and Nick Woltemade scoring to give the Magpies a 2-0 victory.
Having taken over from Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of September, Postecoglou has now led his team through seven matches in all competitions, all without a single victory – just two draws and five defeats. He has completely lost the trust of the supporters at the City Ground, who were calling for his head after the 2-3 defeat in the Europa League to Midtjylland earlier this week.
Furthermore, having qualified for Europe at the end of last season under Espirito Santo, Forest now appear on course to fight for Premier League survival, sitting in 17th place in the table with no more than five points from seven league games.
However, Postecoglou remains confident in his own ability to turn everything around. He said recently he enjoyed this kind of fight and that this was familiar territory for him – there were sticky beginnings in his coaching career before, and in his own words, “those stories ended well”.
The former Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur boss also said that he understood club owner Evangelis Marinakis regarding the current situation.
“I don’t expect him to be happy about the current situation but neither am I. From that point of view, there’s clear understanding,” he said.
Upon taking over at Spurs, Postecoglou held on to his old saying that he always wins silverware in his second season. Against all odds, he delivered for the North Londoners, leading them to Europa League glory and a place in this season’s Champions League. And yet, he was sacked soon after, in what many saw as an incredibly harsh decision from the Spurs hierarchy.
But at this point, it seems likely that the 60-year-old tactician won’t get a chance to repeat the feat – in order to win in your second season, you need to survive your first.
🚨🌳 Seven games, zero wins for Ange Postecoglou since signing in as new Nottingham Forest manager.
❌ 3-0 loss vs Arsenal
❌ 3-2 loss vs Swansea
🟰 1-1 draw vs Burnley
🟰 2-2 draw vs Real Betis
❌ 1-0 loss vs Sunderland
❌ 3-2 loss vs Midtjylland
❌ 2-0 loss vs Newcastle pic.twitter.com/5sefbrOWaW— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 5, 2025