Ange Postecoglou was sacked as Nottingham Forest manager on Saturday after a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, a harsh end to a brief 40-day tenure.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis left his seat during the match at the City Ground, signaling trouble for the Australian, and Postecoglou’s dismissal was confirmed shortly after full-time.
“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 announced on X. “The club will make no further comment at this time.”
This marks the shortest managerial reign of any permanent Premier League manager to leave a club mid-season.
Appointed on September 9, Postecoglou failed to win any of his eight games in charge across all competitions. Forest earned just one point from five Premier League matches under his leadership, sitting 17th — one point above the relegation zone.
The club is now searching for its third manager this season after dismissing Nuno Espirito Santo last month.
Postecoglou, who was sacked by Tottenham in June, remained defiant ahead of the Chelsea match, stating at his pre-game press conference that when given time, his tenure “always ends with me and a trophy.”
He won the Europa League with Tottenham last season but was dismissed due to a poor league campaign.
Former Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche is reportedly among the frontrunners to take over at Forest.
The Chelsea game proved a grim finale to Postecoglou’s tenure. Forest started brightly but failed to capitalize on early chances.
Teenager Josh Acheampong opened the scoring with a header early in the second half, followed by Pedro Neto’s curling free-kick. Captain Reece James sealed the 3-0 victory late on, lifting Chelsea to fourth place ahead of the 1400 GMT fixtures.
Chelsea played without several first-team regulars, including Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, and Enzo Fernandez, with Moises Caicedo starting on the bench — yet they proved too strong for Forest.
Neto’s cross set up Acheampong’s first senior goal in the 49th minute, and three minutes later, Neto doubled the lead with a beautifully curled free-kick past goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Forest missed chances through Nikola Milenkovic and substitute Igor Jesus before James scored on his 200th appearance for Chelsea, prompting a mass exit from the City Ground and leaving Postecoglou reflective on the sidelines.
AFP
