Nottingham Forest has parted ways with Ange Postecoglou just 39 days after his appointment as head coach on September 9. The announcement came only minutes after the team’s loss to Chelsea on Saturday.
Following the team’s 3-0 defeat at the City Ground, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis left his seat during the match, and a statement regarding Postecoglou’s future was made 19 minutes after the final whistle.
Under Postecoglou’s management, the team failed to secure a single win in eight matches.
This latest defeat marked Postecoglou’s fourth consecutive loss across all competitions, prompting boos from the fans at the City Ground as he exited the field, unaware that his tenure was over.
The 60-year-old had recently defended his record in a news conference on Friday, stating that given enough time, “the story always ends the same … Me with a trophy.”
However, Marinakis opted for a different conclusion.
“Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect after a series of unsatisfactory results and performances,” the club stated.
Postecoglou’s tenure is now recorded as the second shortest in Premier League history. Sam Allardyce holds the record with just 30 days in charge of Leeds United in 2023, where he was brought in as a last-ditch effort to save the club from relegation, only to be let go after failing to do so.
Les Reed now stands in third place for the shortest tenure, having been dismissed 40 days after taking over at Charlton in 2006.
Postecoglou succeeded Nuno Espírito Santo after the latter was dismissed due to reported conflicts with Edu Gaspar, the club’s head of global football.
Although Postecoglou was expected to implement a more attacking style of play, he struggled amidst ongoing fan support for his predecessor.
– How Ange Postecoglou’s eight-game ordeal at Forest unfolded
– Premier League standings
Postecoglou has now been let go by two different Premier League clubs within four months.
He was previously dismissed from Tottenham Hotspur shortly after leading them to a European trophy—their first in 17 years.
At the time of his departure, Forest was sitting one place above the relegation zone in 17th position.