Latest Nottingham Forest news as Ange Postecoglou axed as Reds head coach after 3-0 defeat to Chelsea
07:00, 19 Oct 2025
Ange Postecoglou after Nottingham Forest's defeat to Chelsea
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Ange Postecoglou after Nottingham Forest's defeat to Chelsea(Image: PA)
Ever the calm head, Ryan Yates admitted at the end of a dramatic afternoon at the City Ground that he is ‘used to change’ at Nottingham Forest.
But even for a man who has seen it all and worn the T-shirts in Yates, change after just 39 days is new territory. That is the position the Reds find themselves in following the decision to dismiss Ange Postecoglou after eight games in charge.
What should have been a season to remember as the club returned to Europe for the first time in three decades and looked to build on a seventh-placed finish is now at a crossroads. Much is riding on owner Evangelos Marinakis’ next move.
He needs to get his next call right. Postecoglou seemed like the wrong fit almost from the start when he was named as Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement on September 9.
A record of six defeats and two draws left him with no chance of winning over his doubters. Saturday’s 3-0 reverse to Chelsea proved to be the final straw, and now all eyes are on Marinakis for what happens next.
“Whatever steps the club take we need to be fully behind it,” Yates told BBC Sport after news of Postecoglou’s sacking was confirmed on Saturday. “We owe it to the fans to do everything to turn it around."
He added: "We’re all extremely disappointed with how recent results are going. It’s down to us individually to look at ourselves in the mirror and do everything we can 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.
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“We have to get on the training pitch, look for the 1%, the fine margins. We owe it to the fans to put in a good performance on Thursday."
Forest will likely have a new man in place by the time Thursday’s Europa League clash at home to Porto comes around. Former Everton boss Sean Dyce and ex-Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini are the early frontrunners for the job.
Whoever does get the nod from Marinakis has a big opportunity but also a big task on their hands. The Reds have a fine squad but they are lacking confidence and any kind of form.
They could easily have established a healthy lead against Chelsea but they failed to take their chances and then fell apart at the back in the second half. Postecoglou was given the boot barely 20 minutes after the final whistle.
Some of the issues Forest have pre-date the ex-Tottenham Hotspur chief’s arrival. But he failed to find any solutions and left without ever really trying to get Reds supporters on side; if anything, some of his interviews irked fans with the frequent references to past successes and previous clubs. All well and good when results are going your way, but that didn’t happen on the banks of the Trent.
“We have to look at ourselves individually and collectively,” Yates told TNT Sports. “We owe it to the fans to do better, to get better results.
“It's a tough period. I am used to quite a lot of change in manager. We have to regroup as quickly as we can.
“We have a really together dressing room. We've got a massive Europa League game on Thursday at home and we owe it to fans and everyone connected to the club to get a result."
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