Nottingham Forest appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach in September, following the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo, who led the club to their first qualification in a European competition in three decades.
Since his arrival at the City Ground, Postecoglou has failed to lead Forest to a victory in all seven of their matches across competitions so far, which has brought in heavy criticism, along with fans openly expressing their frustrations over the club's form under the 60-year-old manager.
Forest were also eliminated from the third round of the Carabao Cup last month, which was Postecoglou's second match in charge. They currently stand 17th in the top flight with five points in seven league games.
Following a 2-2 draw against Real Betis in their first Europa League game of the season, Forest suffered a 3-2 loss against Danish club Midtjylland in their second match of the competition on October 2, which saw many of their supporters chant "You're getting sacked in the morning," directed at Postecoglou.
While rumors of Postecoglou's possible dismissal have been prevailing, a report from The Daily Mail has suggested that Nottingham are already preparing a list of potential replacements for Postecoglou ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash.
Even though it has only been over a month in charge for Postecoglou, reports have suggested that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, along with other club officials, are keen on being ready to name a successor for better and prompt results.
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This makes Forest's upcoming league game against Chelsea on October 18 at City Ground appear to be a final test for Postecoglou.
Nottingham academy graduate and former Everton manager Sean Dyche, and current Fulham head coach Marco Silva, have been reported to be the top names on Forest's list of potential replacements for Postecoglou.
What did Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou say about dismissal rumors?
Prior to the recent international break, Nottingham were on the receiving end of a 2-0 loss against Newcastle United on October 5.
While addressing the press following the defeat, Postecoglou was asked if his self-belief was affected by the difficult start at Forest, to which the manager replied,
"I started in Australia when I was 32 years old in semi-professional football and I'm here in the Premier League at the age of 60. Do you reckon I lack self-belief or don't like a fight?" as per ESPN.
"I didn't get here because of my connections. In fact, I've picked fights. I have, even in the schoolyard. I've picked fights with people who I knew would beat me up. That's the kind of person I am, so that's fine."
Amid the reports of his possible dismissal surfacing after only a few weeks of being in charge, Postecoglou claimed that he 'loves a fight' and added,
"If people want to make an assessment of me after three and a half weeks in which I've had six or seven games, there's nothing I can do about that."
"But at the same time, there's nothing wrong with things being tough. That's okay. I'll say it a million times, I did have an option. I could have been sitting on the couch watching the game today and not be in the middle of it."
"I love a fight. So it's a fight, so it's a struggle -- so what? That's ok. Now, if people outside don't think I'm the right person, or even internally don't think I am, it makes no difference for me."
It remains to be seen if Postecoglou will be able to lead Forest to success against Chelsea and secure his first win as their manager on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest news and related links
- Postecoglou under pressure as Nottingham Forest eye long-term managerial target
- Wayne Rooney breaks silence on Premier League manager facing brutal sack talk
- Postecoglou responds to Nottingham Forest fans' sacking jeers after Europa League defeat