Ange Postecoglou opens door to Sean Dyche after calamitous decisions in Nottingham Forest defeat to Chelsea
Ange Postecoglou has run out of time at Nottingham Forest after a catastrophic display against Chelsea leaving Evangelos Marinakis with no choice but to axe him.
Forest were torn apart by the Blues in the second half today (18 October), falling to an emphatic 3-0 scoreline as the manager’s decisions backfired badly.
Sources told Football Insider that Sean Dyche is now in pole position to be the new Forest manager and that contact has already been made over a deal.
The writing was on the wall for the former Tottenham boss Postecoglou as soon as owner Evangelos Marinakis vacated his seat in the stands after 63 minutes of the Chelsea match in a clear sign he had seen enough of the team under the Australia manager.
Wasteful and disorganised Nottingham Forest reflect the Postecoglou tenure
The first half at the City Ground saw the Garibaldi surprisingly on top of proceedings as their opponents carelessly gave away the ball.
There was a sense of unpredicted hope around the stadium with a slim chance the international break had given Postecoglou the necessary time to reset and calm his squad’s nerves.
However, Forest‘s wastefulness in front of goal ultimately came back to bite them as the Blues rang the changes at half-time to completely flip the direction of the game.
| Selected stats vs Chelsea (18 October) | Nottingham Forest |
| Possession | 49% |
| Expected goals xG | 2.43 |
| Big chances | 5 |
| Total shots | 12 |
| Corners | 5 |
Embarrassed by two goals within three minutes just after the resumption of the second half even forced Marinakis to march down the tunnel out of view, furious with what he was witnessing as the match finished 3-0.
Remarkably, the Garibaldi were dominant in attack, racking up 2.43 xG and five big chances, yet couldn’t convert any of them, summing up the dismal Postecoglou spell in the Midlands.
Evangelos Marinakis sacks Postecoglou as Nottingham Forest hurry for Sean Dyche signature
The body language and angry exit of the Greek owner from the stands was reinforced by the breaking news that Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties.
A disastrous stint at the City Ground, the ex-Celtic manager lasted just 39 days in charge.
Suspected to become the new manager, former Man United chief scout Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider that Sean Dyche is ready to step in at Nottingham Forest.
From the outside, it is looking obvious that the Garibaldi need a steadying of the ship with Postecoglou completely rupturing the strong foundations laid by Nuno Espirito Santo.
The former Everton boss has been out of work since January 2025 but now could be the ideal time to make his comeback to the Premier League.
For Postecoglou, he may never return to manage in the English top-flight yet again, with his reputation as a gung-ho and careless head coach battered and bruised.