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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barry Glendenning

‘He’s behind you!’ Is Postecoglou the real villain in Nottingham Forest’s panto?

Ange Postecoglou watches on as Nottingham Forest fans vent their fury
Ange Postecoglou stares hard into the middle distance. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

OH NO HE ISN’T! OH YES HE IS!

Arguably the most unpopular Australian to pitch up in Nottinghamshire since villainous hotelier Paul Robinson from Neighbours starred in a Mansfield panto 20 years ago, Ange Postecoglou’s reign at the City Ground could scarcely have got off to a more inauspicious start. While the boos and catcalls that actor Stefan Dennis was subjected to during Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood were largely good-natured, such was the toxicity of the invective aimed at Postecoglou during Nottingham Forest’s Bigger Vase defeat by Midtjylland on Thursday, that it is difficult to imagine the man who has been in charge for just six matches will still be around to hear the festive cat-calls this Christmas. On more than one occasion the 60-year-old’s shouts of “He’s behind you!” went ignored by his hapless players, not least when the Danish side scored their first two goals from atrociously defended set-pieces. Far from the celebratory mood they’d hoped for, Forest’s first European home game in 29 years ended in rancour with home fans telling Postecoglou he’d be “sacked in the morning”, before serenading his popular, recently dismissed predecessor, Nuno Espírito Santo.

“I get the mood around the place isn’t going to be great, I understand people’s attitude, particularly towards me, but I never worry about that, it’s not unfamiliar territory for me,” Postecoglou growled in response, while subjecting the floor around his feet to the now customary death-stare. “Nothing surprises me in football, it’s the climate we’re in. It seems that’s the way things are going. It’s nothing I can control. The fans are disappointed, they are allowed to have an opinion on it. I heard their opinion.” And while those Forest fans are entitled to vent, it could be argued that they might be better advised picking a more appropriate target for their ire. After all, it was Evangelos Marinakis who sacked a firm fan favourite to bring in Postecoglou, who was always going to begin his reign on a hiding to nothing. Looking on from the directors’ box as he went through a repertoire of surly, dark scowls not seen since that time he heard Spurs had triggered Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause, the Greek tycoon has thus far mostly avoided any kind of serious criticism from fans, a fair few of whom remain convinced the sun shines out of his generously upholstered nether regions.

As the clock ticked past noon on Friday, rumours of Postecoglou getting sacked in the morning proved to be greatly exaggerated and reports suggest his job remains safe until such time as … well, it isn’t. While the Forest head coach can argue with some mitigation that he has had little or no time on the training ground to instil the philosophy and tactical nuance that led to Tottenham Hotspur losing 22 of their 38 top-flight games last season, his side’s schedule remains forbidding and relentless. With Newcastle, Chelsea, Porto and Bournemouth next up it is difficult to see from where a first Postecoglou win will come before what could surely be the mother of all El Sackicos against Manchester United.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Scott Murray at 7.30pm BST for WSL updates  on Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’m not the kind of guy who gets involved in controversies, who names people, in fact, I won’t mention anyone’s name here. But I think there was a bit of a lack of respect there, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a ‘good morning’, a ‘good afternoon’” – Antony takes a pop at Manchester United over the frosty environment at Old Trafford, where conviviality has seemingly headed south like the team’s form.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

Is it true Ange Postecoglou has promised Forest fans he always wins a match in his second season?” – Pete Negri.

Far be it for me to want to amplify the trope that Arsenal supporters are football’s whiniest fans, but Thabo Caves (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) does make you wonder. Pointing out that rather than two games a week, Arsenal are having to play 2.33 games a week (ooh an extra 30 minutes!) over a specific three-week period (for a squad with two good options for every position to boot) is not the debate-ender he might imagine. Rather it’s just going to have the orchestra of the world’s smallest violins tuning up their instruments once more, while the rest of football rolls their collective eyes” – Andrew Parker.

I can’t work out whether your recent correspondents (on two or three games a week) are consciously, ironically recreating one of the high points of internet discourse (SFW), or unconsciously proving Marx’s adage about historical events repeating themselves as farce” – Nick Wiltsher.

If it’s any solace, Bob Cushion (yesterday’s letters), I’ve always been like that [wanting wealthy English teams to lose in Europe]. Since Forest lost the ability to negotiate Europe, Uefa football for me has induced a state of seething impotent rage, punctuated only occasionally by Steaua Bucharest and, at a push, Zaragoza. I care not one jot for Liverpool’s exploits from the 80s right up to Istanbul. I am unmoved by ‘that night in Barcelona’, always support anyone who plays Chelsea, because, well, Chelsea have never given me many reasons not to hate them, and I can’t be bothered to tot up how many pots Citeh win while we sort out this finances thing. Yes, I’ll get behind the Palaces of this world and could always back Leeds, but no-one whose name contains the word ‘Dynamo’ are ever going to win anything. Ever again. So you might as well turn it off and go to an actual match. I also always hope Brighton get rinsed, but I’m working through that with a therapist” – Jon Millard.

I struggled for a while to understand the closing caption reference (yesterday’s last line – full email edition) … and then it came to me, in an Aha! moment” – Declan Houton.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Jon Millard. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we have them, are here.

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