Ange Postecoglou ‘could be sacked’ by Nottingham Forest after Newcastle clash

Ange Postecoglou is already fighting to save his job at Nottingham Forest, with the Australian potentially facing the sack after Sunday’s trip to Newcastle

Ange Postecoglou is battling to save his Nottingham Forest position after a catastrophic beginning to his tenure at The City Ground.

The Australian took over from Nuno Espirito Santo as the new Reds manager last month but has since failed to secure victory in any of his first six fixtures across all competitions.

Forest suffered a 3-2 home defeat to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday, with supporters chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” after the Danish outfit netted their third goal.

Resounding jeers echoed around the stadium at the final whistle, and the supporters’ reaction has set off warning signals within the club’s hierarchy.

According to The Telegraph, Postecoglou’s future on Trentside is already under scrutiny, merely 24 days into his appointment, with owner Evangelos Marinakis becoming increasingly worried about results and displays.

Whilst Sunday’s away fixture against Newcastle United is viewed as a challenging encounter, it’s reported that another lacklustre performance and loss could result in Postecoglou being dismissed and recording the briefest-ever Premier League management spell, reports the Mirror.

Marinakis holds the authority to make the ultimate choice, whilst he will consult chief football officer Ross Wilson and former Arsenal executive Edu Gaspar, who joined Forest as global head of football earlier this year before his disagreement with Nuno.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Postecoglou’s future, Forest are still believed to be entirely concentrated on the fixture against Newcastle and remain committed to backing the former Tottenham boss at this time.

Postecoglou has managed two draws and suffered four defeats since taking charge at Forest on September 9. His tenure began with a 3-0 thrashing at Arsenal before another setback, this time against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup.

Two encouraging performances and outcomes then emerged as Forest travelled to Burnley and secured a 1-1 stalemate before journeying to Seville and earning a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Real Betis.

It appeared that Postecoglou and Forest might have reached a turning point following a promising showing against Betis, but consecutive defeats at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland have intensified the pressure.

After Forest suffered their first European home defeat in 29 years, Postecoglou commented: “Really disappointing. Just really, really poor goals we conceded in the first half that again allow the opposition to get comfortable in the game and it’s been the story of our last few games.

“Key moments, let ourselves down. We knew the threat they provided.

“It wasn’t anything organisationally, it’s just in those moments we haven’t shared the same desire and determination as the opposition.”