How long was Ange Postecoglou Nottingham Forest manager? Australian coach sets club record in Premier League

The brief reign of Ange Postecoglou at Nottingham Forest has come to a swift and cruel end.

Just 19 minutes after the fulltime whistle at the end of a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Forest released a statement confirming Postecoglou's departure.

Even in such incredible and unprecedented circumstances, it felt oddly appropriate that such an extraordinary decision by owner Evangelos Marinakis came down, given the club is just eight matches into the 2025/26 season and have already sent two managers packing.

The timing of the decision, so soon after a two-week break for international football, also came under scrutiny.

The Sporting News takes a look back at one of the most unsuccessful managerial spells not only in the history of Nottingham Forest, but in the Premier League itself.

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How long was Ange Postecoglou Nottingham Forest manager?

Postecoglou was fired after just 39 days in charge of Nottingham Forest. His was the shortest-lived appointment at the club in the Premier League.

The Australian manager was hired on September 9, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo who had led the club to a European qualification the previous campaign but was embroiled in a power struggle with Marinakis the owner and Edu, the head of football operations within Marinakis' group of clubs.

He was then sacked on October 18, barely lasting a month in charge of the club.

The axe dropped swiftly, as he was sacked just 19 minutes after the final whistle of a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at The City Ground, not even given the chance to complete his post-match media responsibilities.

Shortest managerial reigns in Premier League history

Incredibly, Postecoglou's spell at Nottingham Forest makes him the manager with the second-shortest time in charge of a club in Premier League history, in terms of days in the role.

Looking at the number of games he oversaw, he is third all-time in league history, just one game past Sam Allardyce and Frank de Boer, the latter of whom only lasted 77 days in charge because he was hired early in the 2017/18 offseason.

Postecoglou did set a new Premier League record, though: his time at Forest was the shortest tenure for a manager who left part way through a season. Allardyce technically left the Leeds role when 2022/23 had ended.

MORE: The shortest-lived managerial reigns in EPL history — and what went wrong for them

Ange Postecoglou record at Nottingham Forest

Postecoglou seemed like a strong candidate for the role, having just led Tottenham to a Europa League title and being Greek-born, giving him ties to Marinakis.

His struggles domestically in his previous position immediately bled through.

While Nuno had managed to keep a house of cards standing, Postecoglou failed to display the same magic touch and it all came collapsing down around him.

The 60-year-old became the first Nottingham Forest manager to fail to win a single one of his first eight games in charge of the club, and he would not be afforded a ninth opportunity.

Ange Postecoglou results at Nottingham Forest

Ange Postecoglou stats at Nottingham Forest

Postecoglou's eight matches in charge made him the shortest-lived managerial appointment in Forest's history.

He also became the first Forest manager to fail to win any of his first eight games in charge of the club.

Forest scored seven goals in those eight matches and conceded 18 for a differential of -10. Forest failed to keep a single clean sheet during that span.

Upon Postecoglou's departure, Forest were sitting 17th in the Premier League table, just a point above the relegation zone.

The defeat to Chelsea in his last game gave Postecoglou a 26th defeat in his most recent 41 Premier League matches, a 63 percent loss rate.

Ange Postecoglou coaching career, record

Postecoglou began his coaching career after retiring from playing in 1994, joining regional side Western Suburbs and then becoming South Melbourne assistant. He was named head coach in 1996 and went on to win back-to-back National Soccer League titles and the 1999 Oceania Club Championship.

Postecoglou then spent seven years with Australia's youth teams before a spell with Greek side Panachaiki. After returning to Australia to work with another lower-league side, the then-called Whittlesea Zebras, he became Brisbane Roar coach in October 2009, winning two A-League titles and re-establishing himself as one of the finest coaches in the country.

A brief spell with Melbourne Victory followed in 2012 before Postecoglou replaced Holger Osieck in charge of Australia's national team. After a creditable performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he led the Socceroos to glory at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup for the first time. He stepped down in November 2017 after qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Postecoglou then took over at Yokohama F. Marinos and delivered a first J1 League title in 15 years, having initially been battling relegation. It was his work in Japan that convinced Celtic to offer him his first managerial job in Europe. Any doubts over his suitability for the role were dispelled as he won the domestic double in 2021/22 and the treble a season later. That led to his chance with Tottenham.

Postecoglou was ultimately sacked by Spurs just 16 days after winning the Europa League final, with the club deciding that 22 defeats in their 38-game league season in 2024/25 simply could not be ignored. 

His time in north London started well: he became the first manager ever to win Premier League Manager of the Month for three straight months of a single season, and he set a record for the most points earned by an EPL boss over his first nine matches, with 23. Their fortunes downturned somewhat over the remainder of 2023/24, but Spurs still finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League.

In the end, their wretched domestic performances prompted the Spurs board to dismiss him in June 2025 "after significant reflection".