Nottingham Forest players ‘are not happy’ as Ange Postecoglou sack threat looms
Ange Postecoglou is fighting to save his job at Nottingham Forest after a disastrous start to his tenure since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo at the City Ground.
After Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, the boss has now gone seven games without a win across all competitions and is facing calls for his head.
However, Football Insider revealed on 6 October that Postecoglou will be given time by Nottingham Forest’s hierarchy, who are hopeful he can turn things around.
Evangelos Marinakis is set to hold talks with Postecoglou during the international break as he seeks reassurances that their recent run of poor form is just a blip.
Postecoglou has confirmed his desire to continue fighting to turn things around, but there is uncertainty about how long he will be afforded.
Ange Postecoglou speculation leaving players unsettled
Three defeats in a week have seen the pressure on his position ramped up, as Forest fans were singing “sacked in the morning” during the loss against Midtjylland.
Alongside the ongoing calls for Postecoglou’s head, there are now concerns that the uncertainty and constant behind-the-scenes changes are negatively impacting the players.
That is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that some of the players are now disillusioned at the City Ground.
“I’m not sure getting rid of Postecoglou would make a difference,” he told Football Insider.
“I hear a few players there are a bit disillusioned with the constant changes that seem to be happening at the moment, and now there’s talk about sacking him.
“That might be part of the problem for Postecoglou, for all his faults, he’s gone in to the job where the players are already not happy with the way things have happened.
“Sacking Nuno out of the blue, after the season they had and the performances he was getting out of the players, it was always bound to cause unrest.
“So that has unsettled them immediately, and then trying to adapt to a new style of play and a new manager, you start losing games and it’s difficult to get that control back.
“If you then get rid of another manager after one month in the job, the players are going to be asking questions about their places, and then they have to adapt to another way of playing and another manager’s methods.
“It’s a very precarious situation for them to be in, they have to find a way to turn it around and I’m not sure that sacking another manager is the best solution.”
This comes after Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier told Football Insider that Nottingham Forest must give Postecoglou time, and sacking him now would be “harsh”.
Nottingham Forest at risk of losing star players
Brown told Football Insider on 6 October that Postecoglou is “more likely than not” to face the sack at Forest given Marinakis’ trigger-happy nature.
While he currently appears to have the support of the owner, it has been shown how quickly things can change at the City Ground, with further unrest expected.
Alongside the growing uncertainty, however, Forest could be at risk of losing key players with the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White attracting interest.
Anderson has attracted interest from Man United in recent weeks, although Postecoglou is extremely reluctant to lose one of his best players at this stage.
Meanwhile, Gibbs-White has confessed it has been a “difficult period” for Forest, as he called for the squad to show togetherness and unity for the fans.
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