Under-fire Forest manager Ange Postecoglou launched into a passionate defence of his managerial career and believes he will never be accepted in England, despite his track-record of winning trophies. Postecoglou goes into Saturday's clash with Chelsea knowing another defeat could cost him his job, just weeks after taking over from the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.
Clock ticking for Postecoglou
Postecoglou only took the helm at the City Ground last month and is currently winless after seven games, the worst start by a Forest manager in over a century, which has led to speculation about his job. This follows his departure from Tottenham where he won the Europa League in May, but was dismissed shortly after following Spurs’ 17th-place finish in the league – the club’s worst Premier League placing. But Ange sees it a different way and believes people’s minds are already made up on him, despite landing another piece of major silverware. He said: "I guess from my perspective, I just don't fit. Not (talking about) here. Just in general. If you look at it through the prism of: I'm a failed manager who is lucky to get this job – I know you're smirking at me and that's what's being said and I can find the print where that's being said – then of course it looks like this manager is under pressure. There is an alternative story. I came to the Premier League two years ago, I took over Tottenham – 'Spursy Tottenham'. I was told by the chairman at the time: 'This club has to win a trophy. We've tried to bring winners in, Jose (Mourinho) and Antonio (Conte) and it hasn't worked, we need something different.' I was slightly offended by that as I see myself as a winner."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportDid final focus hamper league progress?
The Aussie boss has pointed to the many mitigating factors last season which worked against him and, ultimately, led to Spurs finishing in lowly 17th place. A clearly frustrated Postecoglou said: "If I have to explain why we finished 17th, it doesn't have to be too in-depth. Just look at the last five or six different team sheets in the league last year to see who I prioritised, who was on the bench and who I was playing. The last game against Brighton, the players were out for two days partying – which I sanctioned because I felt they deserved to. So we finished 17th, if people think that's a reflection of me and my coaching, then people are looking at it through the prism of: I just don't fit. So we get to the current space where there's a different story to tell that maybe I'm maybe not a failed manager who was lucky to get this job – but maybe I'm a manager where if given time, the story always ends the same. At all my previous clubs it ends the same: me with a trophy."
Postecoglou is feeling the heat at Forest
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis will have a decision to make if he watches his side lose another game, but Postecoglou is doing his best to stay positive, despite the mounting issues. He said: "The flip side is I'm really still excited about the opportunity here. That's how I'm embracing it. I have a group of young players who are willing to change, that's the first thing. I'm heading down that road. The rest of it? I'm not going to waste my time or my energy worrying about that. Whether it's internal or external I couldn't care less. At the end of the day, I will do what I think is the right thing to do to bring success to this football club and that's what I'm focused on. Of course there's pressure. There's pressure anyway. So if we win on the weekend, the pressure is there. There's always pressure. There's a difference between pressure and saying that somebody should lose their job after five weeks. I mean, I only just found an apartment to move into, which may be a bad decision on my behalf. I should have stayed in temporary digs. That's how early it is. So there's a difference."
Getty Images SportIs Ange relishing facing Chelsea?
There’s no respite for Postecoglou, as Forest host Chelsea this weekend, a team he lost to four times while manager of Tottenham. The Forest boss said: “It's always important to win the next game irrespective of what's happened previously. It's no different tomorrow. We're facing a very good opponent but we're here at home which is good and looking forward to the challenge of it. A good couple of weeks training with the guys who were with us here. We had a few on international duty but they came back in good condition and ready to play."