“I was slightly offended” – Ange Postecoglou aims dig at Tottenham in lengthy rant over Forest future | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou has gone on a lengthy rant about his future as manager at the City Ground after making a poor start since taking the job.

Forest had finished 7th under previous manager Nuno Espirito Santo last season, but made the surprise decision to make a change early on this term.

Postecoglou was available after being sacked by Tottenham at the end of the previous campaign, and he’s winless in his first seven games in charge for his new employers.

This has unsurprisingly already led to speculation over Forest sacking the Australian tactician, but he’s called for patience and given more context into his difficult situation at Spurs as well.

Ange Postecoglou’s rant on Nottingham Forest and Tottenham exit

Speaking in his press conference today, as quoted by journalist Ben Jacobs on X, Postecoglou was clearly feeling frustrated as he fielded questions over his future.

The 60-year-old clearly feels he deserves a lot more credit for winning the Europa League with Spurs last season, even if the club’s league form was really poor and they finished in 17th place.

Ange Postecoglou during a Nottingham Forest press conference (Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

See below for Postecoglou’s full explanation of how it all played out for him at Tottenham:

“I guess from my perspective I just don’t fit, not here, just in general. If you look at things through the prism that I am a failed manager who is lucky to get this job, I know you’re smirking at me, but that’s what’s been said, then of course these first five weeks looks like this guy is under pressure.

“But there is an alternative story…I came to the Premier League two years ago and I took over at Tottenham, I was told by the chairman [Daniel Levy] that this club has to win a trophy. He said we’ve tried to bring winners in: Jose [Mourinho], Antonio Conte, and it hasn’t worked. We need something different. I was slightly offended by that because I see myself as winner.

“I took over Spurs who finished eighth. Massive club, but no European football, and one that can’t go two years without European football. We finished fifth in my first year and every time Harry Kane scores a goal [for Bayern after leaving Spurs] I go, ‘I wish he stayed just one more year’. It would have been handy to have him after finishing fifth.

“But somehow that year has disappeared from the record books. It was even used as a reason for me losing my job because even Tottenham decided to exclude the first ten games. Yet the first ten games here [at Forest] are important apparently. But anyway, we finished fifth. I got them back into European football, which is where a club like Tottenham should be.

“Then I was in meetings and was told we need a trophy because it will mean everything to the football club. That’s fine. We win a trophy. We shed the tag of being ‘Spursy’. [We get] Champions League football, which brings some rewards and the opportunity to bring greater players. But all I have heard since I finished at Tottenham is that we finished 17th last year.

“So if you look at it through the prism of finishing 17th, then I am a failed manager who is lucky to get another opportunity. But again, if I have to explain why we finished 17th, it’s really basic. It doesn’t have to be too in-depth. Just look at the last five or six team sheets of last season to see what I prioritised [the Europa League], and who was on the bench. And the last game against Brighton, the players were out partying for two days, which I sanctioned because I felt they deserved to.

“So yes we finished 17th. But if people think that’s a reflection of me and my coaching then again, I think they are looking at it through the prism of I just don’t fit. So we get to the current space [at Forest] where there is a different story to tell, that maybe I am not a failed manager who was lucky to get this job and instead maybe I am a manager who, if you give him time, the story always ends the same. At all my previous clubs, [it ends] with me and a trophy.”

Should Forest stick with Postecoglou?

Forest now have a big decision to make, and it will be interesting to see if they’re patient enough to stick with Postecoglou for a bit longer even if results don’t immediately improve.

To some extent, there’s not much point in changing managers too frequently, but it would also look unwise from the club if they didn’t act to try to turn their difficult situation around.

In truth, it simply looks like sacking Nuno was the wrong call, as the Portuguese tactician had done such an impressive job last season.

Nuno is now back in Premier League management with West Ham, and there’ll likely be a lot of eyes on him and how he gets on compared to Postecoglou at Forest.

Would you give big Ange more time or is he deluding himself about how good he actually is at this level? Give us your thoughts in the comments!