Postecoglou in coaching wilderness after Forest flop

Anna Harrington | October 19, 2025

Ange Postecoglou shouts instructions during what proved to be his last game in charge of Forest.

Ange Postecoglou is back in the coaching wilderness and appears up against it to land another opportunity in the Premier League after lasting just 39 days at Nottingham Forest.

Postecoglou’s high-risk, high-reward call to join the club officially backfired when he was fired after Forest’s 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea on Saturday.

His dismissal makes him the the shortest serving permanent manager since the Premier League was formed in 1992.

The Forest gig was Postecoglou’s first job since being fired by Tottenham at the end of last season, despite leading Spurs to the Europa League title and breaking their 17-year trophy drought.

Ange Postecoglou. — Ange Postecoglou can’t bear to watch the action unfold against Chelsea. (AP PHOTO)

But Postecoglou didn’t win any of his eight matches in charge after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo on September 9 and Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis made a ruthless call after Forest’s fourth-straight loss in all competitions.

Marinakis left his seat midway through Saturday’s match at the City Ground and an announcement on Postecoglou’s future was confirmed just 19 minutes after fulltime.

“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 said.

Postecoglou will now need to take time to lick his wounds then consider his options – which clearly won’t include England’s top flight for now.

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The Europa League winner will get opportunities to reignite his career either in January or ahead of next season – but it will likely be elsewhere in Europe.

He will need to carefully select his next club after making a rare wrong choice of destination in his recent coaching career.

Postecoglou always appeared up against it at Forest, who arguably overachieved last season under Nuno.

Nuno was fired despite leading Forest into Europe following a very public falling-out with Marinakis, reportedly stemming from a breakdown in relations with the club’s recently hired global head of football, Edu Gaspar.

Postecoglou seemed an odd choice as replacement, given his preferred style of play – on the front foot and attacking – differed from Nuno’s and the squad in place at the City Ground.

If the idea was for Postecoglou to bring a more expansive approach to Forest, it didn’t materialise.

Reece James. — Reece James celebrates after driving the final nail in Ange Postecoglou’s coffin. (AP PHOTO)

Forest lost six and drew two of their eight games under Postecoglou, 60. That included four losses from five in the league, scoring one goal in the process.

He is the first Forest manager not to win any of his first eight matches, during which his side conceded 18 goals.

Chances came and went for Forest in the first half against Chelsea, but once defender Josh Acheampong opened the scoring after 49 minutes, they folded – and Postecoglou’s fate appeared sealed.

There was no immediate word of a replacement but Sean Dyche, the former Burnley and Everton manager, has been linked heavily with Forest in recent days, along with Italian Roberto Mancini.

Dyche, who was sacked by Everton in January, was a youth team player at Forest.