Making sense of ‘absolutely crazy’ Ange sacking calls as greats expose fans’ true issue

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and the club’s fans have been urged to show more patience towards manager Ange Postecoglou after the Australian’s difficult start to his new job.

Postecoglou is winless from seven outings since he took charge last month, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo, who is now West Ham manager, after a very public falling out with Marinakis.

Nuno was given his marching orders in the last international break, and there are concerns in England that Postecoglou may suffer the same fate during this week’s break for international football.

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It has been a tricky period for the former Tottenham and Celtic manager to instil his philosophies on a group who had already begun their season and whose style of play under the previous manager stood in stark contract to ‘Angeball’.

The teething problems have been too difficult to overcome so far across both the Premier League and the first two matches of the Europa League, the competition Postecoglou won with Spurs last season, with just two draws to show for the managerial change.

The poor results have led to speculation of an impending sacking.

Reports from the English press emerged overnight of Forest already eyeing Fulham boss Marco Silva as a long-term target, while former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton manager Rafael Benitez has also been linked to Nottingham, having been spotted with Marinakis recently.

Making the situation worse for Postecoglou has been the less than warm welcome he has received from the Forest fans, who adored Nuno.

On what should have been a night of celebration for the Nottingham faithful at the City Ground last week when Forest hosted their first European match in 29 years, the supporters chanted ‘sacked in the morning’ to their new manager as their team lost 3-2 to Danish side FC Midtjylland.

The same chant rang out at St James’ Park on Sunday as Newcastle defeated Forest 2-0.

On Sky Sports, Forest fan Richard Erwin-Jones likened the situation to a child after their parents have been divorced - they rarely like one of their parents’ new partner.

Such an attitude and the discussion of potentially firing Postecoglou has Manchester United and England great Wayne Rooney baffled.

Speaking on his podcast, Rooney said: “It’s crazy all the rumours you’re hearing that Ange could be sacked. He’s had six, seven games, it’s absolutely crazy.”

“He’s been unlucky, the Forest fans really liked Nuno, and it doesn’t look like they’re willing to give Ange the time.”

Former Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic striker Chris Sutton was at the City Ground for the European clash against Midtjylland and could not believe what he heard from the stands.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sutton said he has never experienced such hostility from the supporters towards their manager so soon into their tenure.

“You are talking about the (Nottingham Forest’s) players’ love for Nuno, the fans’ love for Nuno,” Sutton said..

“But it was the owner’s decision to part ways with Nuno, essentially. Ange has come in. The owner is clearly an ambitious guy. He wants the club to do well and is desperate to do well. He has put a lot of money into the club, in terms of transfers, but that’s his call.

“I find this Nottingham Forest situation really bizarre. I can’t remember, and I have been racking my brains. Thursday night, listening to the Forest fans. I have never heard anything like that in such a short space of time.

“When that happens, and the fans are so against the manager early on. It doesn’t bode well. It really doesn’t bode well. I feel for Ange Postecoglou. Managers need time, as we all know. Football is becoming so short-term.”

Several Forest club greats have also taken to the airwaves following the mid week to try calm tensions in the midlands.

Another key aspect of Nottingham fans’ frustrations has been the sharp decline in the team’s fortunes.

They finished seventh under Nuno last season after being in the top four for much of the season, and they ultimately missed out on one of the five Champions League places by a point and goal difference.

Now, they are sitting 17th, one place above the drop zone, with just five points from seven games.

But former Forest striker Robert Earnshaw has urged fans to take a step back and look at the journey they have been on with a longer lens, and practice patience with Postecoglou.

“A few years ago, Forest were seventh from bottom in the Championship and now they’re playing in Europe and that’s under his [Evangelos Marinakis] ownership,” Earnshaw told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Yes, [they have had] lots of managers, he moved things and changed managers. I think this is probably the worst one, he probably didn’t want him [Nuno Espirito Santo] to go actually, but he had to almost make the decision.

“Nuno is very popular in Nottingham, they love him, but they also love Marinakis, so that whole fall out was the fans caught in the middle thinking, ‘we love both of these, what’s going on, we don’t want this, we want both of you to get on and both of us let’s get on in Europe, as we’ve been doing.’

“So, I just think we’ve got to give the respect to Ange Postecoglou, just to give him time, because he’s only been three and a half weeks.

“He’s got to start winning for sure, but I also think he’s got a bit of extra time.”

Forest legend Stuart Pearce also reminded Nottingham fans that there were unhappy when Nuno’s predecessor, Steve Cooper, was sacked after initially struggling in the Premier League.

But Cooper was revered for being the manager to return Forest to the top flight in 2022, having languished outside of the Premier League since 1999.

While Cooper goes down in club folklore, Pearce reminded fans that making the chance did not work out badly for Forest.

“There was a bit of angst with the decision with Nuno, there’s no doubt about that,” he told TalkSport.

“Prior to that, obviously Steve Cooper being fired from his job. I think a few of the fans were disappointed in that, and I’ve got to say on both counts, I was as well.

“But the owner, when you look back on certainly the Steve Cooper one, you might say well hang on a minute, Nuno did a slightly better job, he’s chasing silverware the owner, maybe that’s his philosophy there.

“But what I would say definitely, Ange has gone in under a little bit of pressure, I think some of the booing midweek was aimed just as much maybe at the decision about Nuno, than it was Ange.

“I was at the game yesterday, I didn’t think the performance was a performance of a poor team who are not trying for their manager.

“Personally I thought they grafted well, they’re just lacking a bit of cutting edge now.”

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