Under-pressure Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou spoke at a press conference on Friday about his future at the club and how he will be treated after leaving Tottenham.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked during the September international break after picking up four points from the opening three Premier League games, with many confused by Postecoglou’s appointment.
Nottingham Forest have picked up just one point in four Premier League games since bringing in former Tottenham manager Postecoglou, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season but won the Europa League with Spurs.
The Reds also picked up just one point from two Europa League games under Postecoglou, and lost to Championship side Swansea City in the League Cup.
Evangelos Marinakis is not known for his patience, so there are rumors that the next few games will be crucial for Postecoglou’s future at Nottingham Forest.
And the pressure appeared to be on Postecoglou, who went on a rant about his efforts at Tottenham in Friday’s press conference.
Read: Big weekend: Liverpool vs Manchester United, Villa, Gokeres, Postecoglu, Der Klassiker
Postecoglou told reporters: “From my point of view, I think I don’t fit in, not here, but in general. If you look at things through the prism of me being a failed manager who was lucky to get this job, I know you’re grinning at me, but that’s what’s being said. Of course these first five weeks it’s going to look like this guy is under pressure.”
“But there’s another story… I came to the Premier League two years ago and took over at Tottenham. I was told by the chairman (Daniel Levy) that this club has to win trophies.
“He said he tried to bring in winners in Jose (Mourinho) and Antonio Conte, but it didn’t work. We need something different. I was a bit angry about that because I consider myself a winner.”
“I took over at Spurs, who finished eighth. They’re a huge club, but there’s no European football, and you can’t go two years without European football. We finished fifth in the first year, but every time Harry Kane scores (after leaving Spurs for Bayern) I think, ‘I wish he had stayed one more year.’ It would have been handy to have gotten him after they finished fifth.”
“But somehow that year disappeared from the record books. Even Tottenham decided to exclude the first 10 games, so it was even used as a reason for me to lose my job.”
“Still, the first 10 games here (Forest) are obviously important. But in any case, we finished fifth. I got them back to European football and that’s what a club like Tottenham should be.”
“Then I went into a meeting and they said we need a trophy, because it means everything to a football club. That’s fine. We won the trophy. We shed the ‘Spurs’ label. (We) You get Champions League football, which brings some rewards and an opportunity to bring in better players, but all I’ve heard since finishing my job at Tottenham is that we finished 17th last year.
Read: The Premier League is back! 5 questions you want answered this weekend
“So if you look at it through the prism of finishing 17th, I’m a failed manager and I’m lucky to have had another chance. But if I were to explain why I finished 17th, it’s really fundamental. I don’t want to go into too much detail. No need. Look at the last five or six team sheets from last season and see what my priorities were and who was on the bench. And in the last game against Brighton, the players were out partying for two days. Because I felt that I deserved to be punished.
“Yes, we finished 17th. But if people think that’s a reflection of me and my coaching, I think they look at it through the prism of me not fitting in. So we get to the space we’re in (at Forest) where we are. , there’s another story to tell, maybe I’m not a failed manager who was lucky to get this job, but rather I’m a manager whose stories always end the same way, if you give it time.’And all my previous clubs ended with me.’ Trophy. ”
Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke brought an update on Postecoglou’s future at the City Ground on Friday, saying:
“Things haven’t gone as well as he probably expected. He hasn’t won in seven games and has only drawn two of those seven games. There are important moments coming up for him.
“We have a big game against Chelsea this weekend and if he can get a win in that game things could turn around quickly. That could take some pressure off him.
“The big problem for Postecoglou is trying to win back the Nottingham Forest fans. That’s the big problem now after the European defeat when they were singing ‘I was sacked in the morning’. It wasn’t great for him.”
“We play Chelsea in the league (October 18), which is a tough game, but if we get a result there, things will get a lot better. After that, in the Europa League we will host Porto, then away to Bournemouth, then at home to Manchester United.”
Read next: Famous F365 Friday Quiz: Premier League legends and their next moves…
