‘He’s right there!’ Could Postecoglou be the main culprit in Nottingham Forest’s drama?

OH NO HE ISN’T! OH YES HE IS!

Quite possibly the least favored Australian to arrive in this part of England since a notorious innkeeper from a popular soap appeared in a local pantomime 20 years back, Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at the Nottingham stadium could scarcely have got off to a more inauspicious start. Even though the heckling and shouts that performer the Neighbours star was subjected to during a seasonal stage show were generally lighthearted, the hostility of the abuse directed at Postecoglou during the team’s Europa League loss by their Scandinavian opponents on the previous night was so intense that it is hard to believe the coach who has been in charge for just six matches will remain in post to endure the Christmas jeers this December. On more than one occasion the experienced coach’s shouts of “He’s behind you!” went disregarded by his struggling players, particularly when the visiting team scored their first two goals from atrociously defended dead-ball situations. Nowhere near the happy occasion they’d anticipated, Forest’s first European home game in 29 years ended in acrimony with the crowd telling the boss he’d be “sacked in the morning”, before chanting for his favored, just-removed previous manager, the ex-Wolves coach.

“I get the mood around the place isn’t going to be great, I understand people’s attitude, particularly towards me, but I never worry about that, this is nothing new to me,” the coach retorted in reply, while directing the area at his feet to the now customary intense glare. “Football holds no surprises for me, that’s the current environment. It seems that’s the way things are going. It’s nothing I can control. Followers are let down, they have every right to their view. I took in their thoughts.” Even if those supporters are allowed to complain, it could be suggested that they might be more sensible choosing a more fitting focus for their ire. After all, it was Evangelos Marinakis who fired a firm fan favourite to hire Postecoglou, who was always going to face a tough task from day one. Looking on from the executive seats as he went through a range of angry, grim faces not seen since that occasion he learned Tottenham had activated the midfielder’s buyout option, the wealthy owner has up to now dodged any kind of harsh judgement from supporters, a sizable group of whom remain convinced the he is beyond reproach.

By Friday midday, speculation of the manager being fired overnight proved to be unfounded and sources indicate his job remains secure until such time as … actually, it’s not. Even though the Forest head coach can offer a partial defense that he has had minimal opportunity on the training pitch to introduce the approach and gameplan subtleties that led to Spurs failing to win a majority of their Premier League fixtures last term, his team’s fixture list remains forbidding and relentless. Up against the Magpies, the London club, the Portuguese giants and Bournemouth on the horizon it is difficult to see from where a initial success under the new boss will come before what could possibly become the mother of all El Sackicos against Manchester United.

COVERAGE ON MAJOR SITE

Tune in with the sports writer at 7.30 in the evening for women’s football coverage on Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea.

BEST REMARK

“I steer clear of heated debates, who points fingers, in fact, I’ll refrain from naming names. However I feel there was a slight disregard, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a ‘good morning’, a ‘good afternoon’” – the United player takes a pop at his club over the cold atmosphere at Old Trafford, where friendliness has likely worsened like the club’s results.

READER COMMENTS

Can it be the Forest manager has vowed Forest fans he guarantees victory in his next campaign?” – a fan.

I wouldn’t normally to want to amplify the trope that the Emirates faithful are football’s whiniest fans, but a correspondent (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) does make you think. Highlighting that rather than a pair of fixtures per week, the North London side are having to play 2.33 games a week (wow, 30 additional minutes!) over a particular 21-day span (for a squad with two good options for every position to additionally) is not the argument-settler he might think. Rather it’s just going to have the smallest fiddle players getting ready once more, while the wider sport sigh in unison” – a different supporter.

I’m puzzled whether your latest letter-writers (on several fixtures each week) are consciously, ironically recreating one of the classic instances of online debate (safe for work), or inadvertently demonstrating the famous quote about historical events repeating themselves as farce” – a fan.

If it’s any solace, the previous correspondent (the last mailbag), I’ve always been like that [hoping affluent UK clubs to lose in Europe]. From the time Forest stopped competing in Europe, Uefa football for me has led to a state of helpless fury, punctuated only occasionally by the Eastern European team and, maybe, the La Liga outfit. I couldn’t care less for the Reds’ achievements from the eighties right up to the Champions League win. I am unmoved by {‘that