‘Getting sacked in the morning’: Forest fans turn on Ange after another loss

Ange Postecoglou hasn’t yet lost the dressing room at Nottingham Forest. But he has lost the fans.

After his sixth match in charge without a win, the fans at the City Ground taunted him by singing “you’re getting sacked in the morning” while pleading with owner Evangelos Marinakis to sack him.

The 3-2 defeat to Danish side FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Friday morning (AEST) has ripened the possibility of an early exit for Postecoglou. Forest were playing their first European match at home in nearly 30 years, and with no disrespect to the second-placed Danish SuperLiga outfit, they were warm favourites for a reason.

But two set-piece goals - one of Postecoglou’s alleged weaknesses - in the space of six minutes in the first half put them at a fatal disadvantage, and punctured a hopeful atmosphere, which turned nasty by the end.

Post-match, Postecoglou said that Forest didn’t get anything “organisationally” wrong for the goals, but that Forest’s players did not match Midtjylland’s “desire and determination”. They were surely warned about this; at his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou identified set pieces as a “modern trend” in the game and that they were prepared for an aspect that is a speciality for Midtjylland, so much so that they tally their goals from set pieces on the wall of their training complex.

Last season, under Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest were one of England’s best defensive teams. Now, since Postecoglou’s appointment, they have conceded more goals in all competitions than any of their rivals in the Premier League - feeding into the narrative that his brand of attacking football is incompatible with this level, which is one that an increasing number of Forest supporters are believing. They now fear a relegation battle unless he is shown the door.

This is not an irretrievable situation for Postecoglou, who has forged basically his entire reputation on the fact that he is able to accomplish things that people tell him are impossible. It is always a white-knuckle ride with him at the start - Spurs was the sole exception to that rule. That is part of the appeal. It requires patience, a semi-blind belief that the bad things will eventually become good things, and then great things. That can be scary, if there’s no real evidence to guide you. And the higher you go, the bigger the risk, the shorter the timeframe you have to work with, the harsher the feedback.

Forest’s football remains compelling at times, and there is a kernel of something there. The stats from this match suggest that they probably deserved something from it. That’s been the story of Postecoglou’s time there so far. He has taken on a difficult job, trying to radically transform a team’s style while maintaining results - but at the moment he is only holding up half of the bargain. As he knows, the only currency that matters in football is winning. If you’re not doing that, you’re not going to survive for too long.

Postecoglou’s boss, Evangelos Marinakis, looked personally affronted by the result at full-time and had fans all around his seat in the grandstand giving him free advice about what to do about the coach. Most of them never wanted Nuno to go; some were singing songs about him. They did not want Postecoglou and they have seen no reason to jump on board with him.

Whether Marinakis is now regretting his decision, or is prepared to give him time to dig himself out of this hole, remains to be seen. Forest are away to Newcastle next up in the Premier League, then after the international break, host Chelsea and then FC Porto in the Europa League. All will be very difficult. Postecoglou is walking a tightrope.

Socceroos mend bridges with young gun Alex Robertson

Alex Robertson has been re-called to the Socceroos for the first time in two years, ending a strange stand-off between the former Manchester City youngster and national team staff over his eligibility.

Robertson played twice in friendlies for Australia under Graham Arnold, seemingly putting to an end the question of the 22-year-old’s international allegiance. The Sydney-born midfielder, who came through City’s academy, also qualifies to play for England, Scotland or Peru; his father and grandfather both also represented the Socceroos.

But until Friday, he had not been selected by coach Tony Popovic, who had previously said that Robertson was “ineligible” due to a “paperwork” issue, amid fears that the relationship between player’s family and the Australian set-up had somehow soured.

Now playing for Cardiff City in England’s League One, Robertson is yet to feature in a competitive game this season but has been named as part of a 25-player squad for Australia’s upcoming friendlies against 2026 World Cup co-hosts United States and Canada later this month.

Popovic has made eight changes to the squad that retained the Soccer Ashes against New Zealand last month, including a return for captain Maty Ryan after his move to Levante in Spain.

There is no room for Portsmouth ace Adrian Segecic, but there is for Nestory Irankunda, who played against him this week. Irankunda was hooked after just 35 minutes by coach Paulo Pezzolano in Watford’s 2-2 draw with Portsmouth, and reacted angrily as he came off the field. He was not injured; Pezzolano tried to explain post-match that he was trying to avoid him suffering an injury, but it appeared he was trying to prove a point to the combustible 19-year-old, who was excellent in the series against the All Whites.

“It’s a privilege to face two World Cup hosts in Canada and the USA, both quality opposition,” said Popovic, who is unbeaten in 10 games as Socceroos coach.

“This will give us a taste of what to expect at next year’s tournament - one of the advantages of qualifying directly.

“Our focus remains on preparing diligently for the World Cup. Every window and each match provides an opportunity to challenge ourselves as we strive to make an impact on the world stage.”

Here’s what a brow-beaten Ange Postecoglou had to say in his post-match stand-up with TNT Sports:

Really disappointing. Just really, really poor goals we conceded in the first half that, again, allowed the opposition to get comfortable in the game. It’s been the story of our last few games.

We just let ourselves down in key moments in games. We knew the threat they provided. It wasn’t anything organisationally, it’s just in those moments we haven’t shown the same desire and determination as the opposition.

Progress is us winning games of football. We haven’t done that. Yes, our football has been compelling at times, but you’ve got to win games of football, and that’s what we’ve got to try and do.

We’ve just got to keep going. There’s no hiding in the sport we’re in, so you’ve just got to keep your head up and recover. We’ve got a tough game in Newcastle on the weekend, and we’ve just got to make sure we’re ready for that.

A penny for the thoughts of this bloke, Evangelos Marinakis...

How angry? Check the replies to this tweet.

Forest’s desperate hunt for a third goal comes to nothing.

Midtjylland successfully chewed up the clock, Forest’s attacking efforts came to nothing, and that is that.

The Danish side’s coaching staff are ecstatic. Ange Postecoglou… not so much. He’s under enormous pressure. Six games without a win - two draws and four defeats.

How many more will he get?