Ange Postecoglu Hates Wednesdays | OneFootball

Most normal folks hate Monday. But Ange Postecoglu ain’t most normal folks. The sardonic satrap of Evangelos Marinakis’ Nottingham Forest has sat uncomfortably in the managerial seat since Sept. 9. In the seventeen days since, he’s presided over four matches, none of which have ended well.

A Piss-Poor Start

Since the unceremonious sacrifice of previous gaffer Nuno Espíritu Santo, Forest have not looked good. Only two points from four games, and an unceremonious elimination from the EFL Cup.

Nottingham Forest’s Last 4 Games (Source: Sofascore)

One can forgive the loss to Arsenal at the Emirates. Fair dinkum, mate, that was a rough fixture to start with. But that travesty in Wales, conceding two goals in stoppage time from a 2 – 1 position to LOSE. To SWANSEA? Crikey, what a grogan.

Everything smells like a rose when you’ve been locked in the dunny, and the last two draws certainly had a fresher aroma than those losses. But again, HOW those draws came about invites scrutiny and raises questions.

I’ll concede Forest looked lively against Burnley, and without Martin Dúbravka’s keeper heroics could’ve left Turf Moor with three. But they didn’t. And that Europa League opener against Real Betis… yikes. Antony ran circles around the Forest backline twice, first to set up Cédric Bakambu’s goal, then to take one for himself in the waning moments.

Made to Measure: Nuno vs. Ange

Set Nuno’s first games against Ange’s, and the Aussie is a pale shadow. Let’s also not forget that when Nuno took over Nottingham Forest were sitting deep in the relegation zone, with only 3 wins out of 18 played.

Nuno Espírtu Santo’s first 5 game results. (Source: Sofascore)

We all know the rest of the story. How they finished 17th in 2024, then took the league by storm the next autumn. Then came the sputter and slowdown, but still the side made a successful European bid.

Ange Still Has a Long Lead

This weekend’s upcoming fixture against Sunderland will be a bellwether game. But let’s also be realistic. Even an owner as mercurial as Marinakis wouldn’t pull the trigger on Ange after five games. This isn’t Leverkusen. Ange still has a very long lead and some room to maneuver. And he has this going for him: the match isn’t on a Wednesday.

The Hooligans Discuss

Gary Striker and The Qooligan debate Nottingham Forest’s upcoming tie against Sunderland.