Celtic hero Ange Postecoglou still had the backing of Nottingham Forest players despite the latest defeat to Chelsea.
Forest sacked Postecoglou after a miserable run of no wins in eight Premier League games saw the Tricky Trees sit 18th in the table.
Postecoglou was under increasing pressure this week and the Celtic hero launched a furious defence of his managerial record once again as the Aussie’s future at Forest came under the spotlight.
And now that Ange is out, it appears that Nottingham Forest’s players still had full faith in what the former Celtic boss was trying to do at the club.
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
Morgan Gibbs-White says Forest players had ‘full faith’ in Celtic hero Postecoglou
After just 39 days in charge at Nottingham Forest and just five points from 24, Evangelos Marinakis dismissed the former Celtic boss.
But it appears that Postecoglou’s players at Forest still believed he was the man to take them forward as TNT’s Jules Breach shared post-match after the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Breach told TNT Sports, “I was interviewing Morgan Gibbs-White about the match when the news dropped. So as soon as the interview finished, that’s when we found out that Ange Postecoglou had been sacked as the Nottingham Forest manager.
“In that interview, Morgan Gibbs-White said that Ange Postecoglou addressed the players in the dressing room and talked about how frustrating it was that he could see improvements, the team could see improvements and progression, but they just weren’t putting the ball in the back of the net and were conceding sloppy goals.
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“Morgan Gibbs-White’s opinion was that he still had full faith, and the team still had full faith, that Ange Postecoglou could turn things around. In terms of what the players might be feeling, I imagine they might be quite surprised that this news has happened.
“Just after that interview, Gibbs-White was taken back into the home dressing room with the other players and soon after that they were all taken up to the boardroom, where I imagine there will be quite a long meeting happening now.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca feels ‘very sorry’ for Celtic icon Ange Postecoglou
Former Celtic managerial candidate Enzo Maresca was asked about Postecoglou’s sacking after his Chelsea side sealed the Australian’s fate.
And the Italian sent a message of support to the ex-Celtic manager.
Maresca told TNT Sports, “I feel very sorry. It’s always a shame.
“I’ve said it many times that, unfortunately, it’s a business where you have to win games.
“Otherwise, for all of us, it’s the same consequence.”
So what now for Postecoglou? Surely now, the Australian should be looking to stay away from the Premier League.
The media and journalists down south appeared to treat the Celtic legend with a level of disdain with their constant poking and prodding at press conferences.
Whatever happens, many Celtic supporters will wish him all the best as Postecoglou will now probably look to take a break from the dugout for a bit.