A new report has shared how Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis now feels about his decision to sack Nuno Espírito Santo, with the Greek billionaire also said to be considering a surprise replacement for Ange Postecoglou.
Ange Postecoglou under serious Nottingham Forest pressure
A run of zero wins from his opening seven matches in charge at the City Ground, which includes five defeats, has plunged Postecoglou’s long-term Forest future into serious doubt.
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Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Nottingham Forest so far |
Competition |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal 3-0 Forest |
Premier League |
|
Swansea 3-2 Forest |
Carabao Cup |
|
Burnley 1-1 Forest |
Premier League |
|
Real Betis 2-2 Forest |
Europa League |
|
Forest 0-1 Sunderland |
Premier League |
|
Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland |
Europa League |
|
Newcastle 2-0 Forest |
Premier League |
While Forest are yet to pull the plug on the Australian, despite credible media sources suggesting he could be sacked if Forest lose to Newcastle, Marinakis is not afraid to make a ruthless decision and call time on Postecoglou’s short reign if results continue in this manner (Sky Sports).
The former Tottenham boss, if he’s handed his P45 in the coming days, could become the shortest reigning Premier League manager in history.
Postecoglou already has an unwanted record, having made the worst start of any new Forest boss for 100 years, but the 60-year-old sent a defiant message about his struggles to make a good start at the City Ground.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with something being hard? What’s wrong with that? Why do we want everything delivered nicely packaged?” Postecoglou said in the aftermath of Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday.
“I’m sure your parents had a struggle in their life and they didn’t give up. You might even have been a lost cause at some point, but they didn’t give up on you.
“It seems these days as soon as something goes wrong, it’s right, that’s it, it’s wrong, we’ll change it. Everything that needs something fixed is invariably going to go through a tough time.
“I see it being an exciting opportunity. That’s why I took the role. I still believe that now, more so than ever before. At the same time, you’ve got to embrace there’s going to be a fight and a struggle for it.”
In terms of who could replace Postecoglou if Marinakis decides to call time, it is believed that Oliver Glasner could emerge as a top candidate for the Forest job, and they have a long-standing interest in Fulham’s Marco Silva (The Mail).
The tacticians are both doing excellent jobs at their respective clubs with limited resources, so it’s hardly a surprise to see them mentioned, but it is now rumoured that Marinakis has another “shock” candidate in mind.
Nottingham Forest internally discuss Graham Potter as a replacement for Ange
That is according to TEAMtalk, who claim that former West Ham boss Graham Potter, who was sacked by the Hammers over a fortnight ago, is being considered.
The Englishman recorded the second-worst win percentage of any West Ham manager in Premier League history, behind only Avram Grant, who relegated the Hammers in 2011, yet his name has apparently come up behind-the-scenes.
|
Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League |
Win percentage |
|---|---|
|
9. Sam Allardyce |
30.7% |
|
10. Julen Lopetegui |
30% |
|
11. Gianfranco Zola |
27.8% |
|
12 Graham Potter |
26.1% |
|
13. Avram Grant |
18.9% |
|
via StatMuse |
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TT claim that Forest are internally discussing the possibility of appointing Potter, and Marinakis feels personally accountable for the club’s current situation after his bold move to axe Nuno.
The chief is said to be furious over Forest’s form and the state of affairs right now, with Marinakis “on the verge” of sacking Postecoglou.
Hiring Potter would be a very controversial move, to say the least, following his torrid time at the London Stadium.
Even if West Ham players were fans of the tactician and gave him their full backing (The Telegraph), it would arguably be yet another backwards step for the Tricky Trees.
Elsewhere, Marinakis was spotted in close proximity to Rafael Benitez last week, who’s keen on returning to England, and the Spaniard could be a much better option than Potter.
The option that stands out among all the rest, though, is Glasner.
That being said, even though his contract expires in 2026, it could be very difficult to convince the Austrian to move there mid-season amid Forest’s current predicament.
