Ange Postecoglou was fighting a losing cause from the start.
The Celtic hero was appointed Nottingham Forest manager in September, but just over a month later, Postecoglou was sacked by the Premier League side.
That’s two sackings in a year for Postecoglou, after Tottenham Hotspur booted him out in the summer, despite winning the Europa League.
From the get-go, Postecoglou was verbally battered, and even before Forest’s defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, it proved he was always doomed.
Ange Postecoglou Head Coach of Nottingham Forest looks dejected during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at City Ground
Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
How Nottingham Forest fans react towards Celtic hero Ange Postecoglou before his sacking
Only a few matches into Postecoglou’s reign, fans were chanting towards their own manager, ‘you are getting sacked in the morning.’
Peter Crouch was at the City Ground, and when Postecoglou’s sacking was announced, he explained that there was a ‘toxic’ atmosphere even before a ball was kicked against Chelsea, as he told TNT Sports.
“The decision was made the minute (Evangelos Marinakis) left his seat (just after an hour of the match),” said Crouch. “The empty seat spoke volumes.
“Myself and Glenn (Hoddle) were discussing off-air that the decision was going to be made. The fact that it has been made, quite so soon after the game, I thought he might have let the dust settle for a couple of hours.
MORE CELTIC STORIES
“But this chairman certainly doesn’t mess about. You would expect more (time). It’s really difficult for Ange.
“I think, the way the crowd were, there was almost a toxic atmosphere before the game, and they have all left the stadium. It was beginning to be a problem. I don’t think results would have got better quickly. It’s probably the right decision, although it does seem incredibly unfair after eight games.”
‘Everyone in football was surprised’ by Nottingham Forest’s call on Postecoglou
This isn’t going to do Postecoglou’s reputation any good, and you wonder if he returns to Celtic next season to try and rebuild that.
Yes, this Forest reign, all 39 days of it, was awful, but as Crouch touched upon, many were ‘surprised’ by the call to replace a defensive-minded coach in Nuno Espirito Santo with an attacking coach in Postecoglou.
“Even when he was hired, his beliefs and philosophies were so different to what Nottingham Forest had done so well in the previous season,” added Crouch.
“I think everyone in football was surprised by the appointment being chalk and cheese. It was so different under Nuno, and they had great success under Nuno.”