Ange Postecoglou’s short-lived stint at Nottingham Forest has drawn sharp criticism from former Australia teammate Robbie Slater, who believes a little patience might have landed him the Manchester United job instead.
Postecoglou was reportedly sacked just 17 minutes after Forest’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea, bringing an abrupt end to a disastrous 39-day reign, the shortest full-time managerial tenure in Premier League history.
Slater didn’t mince words, calling the episode “an absolute disaster” and insisting it was a move Postecoglou should never have made. “It’s the record you don’t want to have, and he’s got a few,” Slater told The Daily Telegraph.
“This was a disaster from start to finish. It’s a job he should never have taken. It ended up how I thought it would if he didn’t start winning straight away.”
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‘He jumped the gun’
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According to Slater, the Australian coach rushed into the role without considering the risks. “The first thing is Ange jumped the gun. I don’t know if his advisors said take the first job that came up,” he said. “If he had waited, the Manchester United manager is on borrowed time, and Ange wouldn’t be beyond getting a club the size of United if he had been patient.”
Slater also pointed out the instability at Forest under owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has earned a reputation for being “trigger happy.” “Ange should have realised the owner was trigger happy. He’s had 25 managers in 14 seasons across clubs,” Slater said. “He went in and tried to change it instead of going slowly.”
Having already been sacked by Tottenham earlier in the year despite winning the Europa League, Postecoglou now faces an uncertain future. “You can never say he is done,” Slater added, “but it will be difficult for another EPL club to pick him up after what’s happened here.”