Ange Postecoglou doesn’t deserve Nottingham Forest job, Evangelos Marinakis blinded by ‘terrible’ reason to appoint him – pundit
Ange Postecoglou is said not to be cut out for the Nottingham Forest job as Evangelos Marinakis looked past the frailties of the Australian’s footballing philosophy when replacing Nuno Espirito Santo.
On the former Celtic manager’s return to the Premier League following his dismissal by Spurs, Postecoglou lost Murillo to injury in the Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis has been coined a “risk taker” over the appointment of Postecoglou despite the relative stability of his predecessor.
Yet, the Portuguese could be back in action sooner than expected with sources telling Football Insider on 14 September that Premier League and European clubs are monitoring Espirito Santo.
Former Wolves and Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara passionately felt the decision to bring in the Australian was the wrong one for the Garibaldi based on last season’s form.
Ange Postecoglou a ‘huge risk’ for Nottingham Forest says Jamie O’Hara
Speaking on Sky Sports News (16 September), the player turned pundit was aghast by the Greek owner’s push to appoint the ex-Spurs manager instead of sticking by Espirito Santo.
O’Hara felt Marinakis was distracted by the excitement “Ange-ball” has brought, saying: “I’m amazed at this decision by Marinakis to bring him [Postecoglou] in… But, this is a huge risk, a massive risk bringing in Postecoglou.
“I don’t think he deserved the job at Nottingham Forest. The only reason I can sit here in my head and think it is [decision to hire Postecoglou] that Marinakis believes he’s got a squad of players that can play attacking football.
“I think he wants to go and watch this brand of football that everyone seems to want these days and he thinks Ange Postecoglou is gonna bring that.
“If you all of a sudden think that Ange Postecoglou is going to come in and play this glorious football, I watched it last season at Tottenham, it was terrible.”
Europa League brilliance masking Ange Postecoglou concerns
As a Spurs fan, I am forever indebted to the Australian for ending our painful trophy drought by leading us to victory in the Europa League.
However, success in Europe undermined the domestic campaign which saw a painful 17th-placed finish in the Premier League.
Trophies is exactly what Marinakis craves and I wonder whether the Greek owner has instructed Postecoglou to focus on Europe once again which could sacrifice domestic performances.
| Ange Postecoglou Tottenham record | |
| Games managed | 101 |
| Wins | 47 |
| Draws | 14 |
| Defeats | 40 |
“Ange-ball” is a fun and fascinating concept when it works well but more often than not it leads to injuries amongst players and suffering amongst fans.
I’m not convinced the Garibaldi faithful truly want to see their team drop down the table after a breakthrough campaign in 2024-25.
My advice to Forest supporters is to strap yourselves in for a bumpy ride as the Australian could completely rip up the solid foundations of Espirito Santo in a heartbeat.