Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou was sacked on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) after just eight matches in charge — only minutes after a 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea.
“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,” the club posted on X. “The club will make no further comment at this time.”
The Australian lasted just 39 days in the role — the shortest reign by a permanent manager in Premier League history. He was reportedly informed of the decision shortly after full-time and said goodbye to his players in the dressing room; though seemingly wasn’t told before giving the post-match debrief, according to Forest captain Ryan Yates.
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“He was extremely disappointed like us all,” Yates told the BBC. “I did some running. Came back in and the news was out.
“When you’re having such bad results it’s never a massive surprise. It’s disappointing for us as players. We can do more, we can do better.
“We need to dust ourselves down really quickly. Whatever steps the club take we need to be fully behind it. We owe it to the fans to do everything to turn it around.
“That’s the nature of football. Results have not been good enough. As players we have to take massive responsibility, collectively as a group we have to do more.”
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis left his seat during through the contest at City Ground after Chelsea went up 2-0 early in the second half. It was an ominous sign of what was to come.
The gap between Forest marking full-time on their social accounts and announcing his sacking was 19 minutes. Former Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche is reportedly in the frame to be the new boss.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who was serving a touchline ban for the game, sympathised with Postecoglou post-match.
“I feel very sorry. It’s always a shame,” Maresca told TNT Sports.
“Unfortunately, it’s a business where you need to win games. For all of us, it’s the same consequences.”
Postecoglou was only appointed on September 9 — months after Europa League success with Tottenham — but after no win and six defeats from his first eight matches, Marinakis has acted and Forest are on the hunt for a third manager this season.
Postecoglou was defiant at his pre-match press conference on Friday, saying if he is given time at a club it always ends “with me and a trophy”.
Postecoglou had taken over from the more defensive-minded Nuno Espirito Santo and was charged with making Forest a more attacking outfit with the potential to win trophies — yet it has ended in abrupt heartache, with the team sitting a dismal 18th in the league after the Chelsea defeat and a chance to sink lower by the end of the round.
This was the second-fastest axing of any manager in Premier League history, trailing only Sam Allardyce’s desperate four-game interim reign late in the 2022-23 season for Leeds; who could not avoid relegation and parted ways with ‘Big Sam’.
Postecoglou’s rapid demise left English football stunned, with the Aussie already sacked by Spurs after winning them a drought-breaking Europa League trophy; albeit in a season where the club placed 17th in the league.
“That is one of the most brutal sackings of the Premier League era. I have never seen a coach lose their job before they could even do their post-match interviews,” Sky Sports football journalist Zinny Boswell wrote of his Forest downfall.
“Strangely, the manner of his sacking is shocking but not surprising given the ruthlessness of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who left his seat at 2-0 down.
“In hindsight, it’s clear that he was off to get the wheels in motion to sack Postecoglou, appointed just 39 days ago.
“Only Sam Allardyce’s 30-day spell at Leeds was shorter among Premier League managers.”
The Chelsea match was an unhappy final chapter in a miserable reign for Postecoglou, 60. The home side started brightly against Chelsea but failed to take their chances.
Teenager Josh Acheampong headed the visitors ahead early in the second half before Pedro Neto curled home from a free-kick.
Captain Reece James made it 3-0 late on to lift Chelsea into fourth spot in the table ahead of the later kick-offs.
Chelsea were without a long list of first-team players including Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile and Enzo Fernandez, while Moises Caicedo started the game on the bench.But ultimately they were too strong for Forest.
The visitors took the lead when Neto sent in an inviting cross for defender Acheampong, who headed home for his first senior goal in the 49th minute.
Three minutes later Chelsea doubled their lead when Neto curled his free-kick around the wall of red shirts, past the despairing dive of Matz Sels.
Nikola Milenkovic and substitute Igor Jesus failed to take chances for Forest and James scored late to make it 3-0 on his 200th appearance for the club.
That sparked a mass evacuation from the City Ground, leaving Postecoglou pensive on the touchline.
ANGE’S ILL-FATED FOREST RUN
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest – Premier League
Swansea 3-2 Nottingham Forest – Carabao Cup
Burnley 1-1 Nottingham Forest – Premier League
Real Betis 2-2 Nottingham Forest – Europa League
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Sunderland – Premier League
Nottingham Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland – Europa League
Newcastle 2-0 Nottingham Forest – Premier League
Nottingham Forest 0-3 Chelsea – Premier League