Browsing: Postecoglou

Sean Dyche is vying with former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to replace Ange Postecoglou at Nottingham Forest, sources have told ESPN, with Mancini being considered by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis as an alternative to the former Burnley and Everton manager.

Forest are searching for their third manager of the season after the club announced Postecoglou’s sacking just 19 minutes after the team’s 3-0 home defeat against Chelsea on Saturday.

The former Tottenham, Celtic and Australia coach had been in his post for just 39 days, taking charge of eight games without a win, since replacing Nuno Espírito Santo last month.

But with Forest dismissing Postecoglou after his brief spell at the club, sources have said that Dyche is the favoured candidate to take over and that discussions have take place with the 54-year-old, whose connections to the club date back to his time as a youth team player in the 1980s.

Sean Dyche has been tipped to replace Ange Postecoglou as Nottingham Forest manager. Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Dyche, who was fired by Everton last season, is not a certainty to take charge, however, with Marinakis keen to assess Mancini’s qualities for the job.

Mancini, 60, has not worked in English football since being fired by City in May 2013 — 12 months after guiding the club to its first league title in 44 years — after falling out with a number of senior players at the Etihad.

Roberto Mancini, a former Premier League-winning manager at Manchester City, left his role with Saudi Arabia a year ago. Sha Kun/CFIDC/VCG via Getty Images

Mancini has since coached Galatasaray, Inter Milan and Zenit St Petersburg, but has not been involved in the club game since 2018, when he started a five-year stint as Italy coach, during which he led the Azzurri to the Euro 2020 title.

He has been out of work since leaving his post as Saudi Arabia coach in October 2024.

– How Ange Postecoglou’s eight-game Forest nightmare unfolded
– Ange Postecoglou joins list of shortest managerial reigns in Premier League era
– Watch: Is Dyche the best candidate to replace Postecoglou at Forest?

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Oct 18, 2025, 12:12 PM ET

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Nottingham Forest after just 39 days and five Premier League matches in charge following a 3-0 home loss to Chelsea.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis saw enough an hour into the contest at the City Ground and took just 19 minutes after full-time to announce the end of Postecoglou’s reign.

Postecoglou’s dire spell in charge after taking over on September 9, made him the 10th permanent manager to last less than 100 days as a permanent manager during the Premier League era.

Here, ESPN take a look at all the managers who failed to make a positive impact in the early days of their reign.

Nathan Jones, Southampton – 84 days

Nathan Jones, Southampton Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images

Welsh manager Nathan Jones left Luton to succeed Ralph Hasenhuttl on the south coast in November 2022 but, for the second time after his miserable 10 months at Stoke City in 2019, it proved an unsuccessful spell away from Kenilworth Road.

While in charge of Southampton, Jones secured fell to nine defeats in 14 games and left Saints seeking a third boss of the season.

Quique Sánchez Flores, Watford – 85 days

Quique Sanchez Flores, Watford Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Watford’s managerial merry-go-round under the Pozzo family’s ownership stands out among Premier League clubs and Sánchez Flores has taken two rides, serving for 44 games between June 2015 and May 2016 but only a dozen — with two wins — on his return three years later.

Bob Bradley, Swansea City – 85 days

Bob Bradley, Swansea Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images

The first American to manage in the Premier League, Bradley lasted from October to December of 2016 — though, unlike Reed, he made it through Christmas before being axed on Dec. 27.

Bradley took eight points from 11 games and left Swansea 19th in the table, having also struggled under Francesco Guidolin, but they finally found their man as Paul Clement secured top-flight survival.

Frank De Boer, Crystal Palace – 77 days

Frank de Boer, Crystal Palace Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Lasting two days longer than Meulensteen, former Netherlands international Frank De Boer took charge at Selhurst Park in the summer of 2017.

After just four games of the 2017-18 season — the lowest amount of games a permanent manager has ever been in charge for — De Boer was dismissed without yielding a single point or goal.

Rene Meulensteen, Fulham – 75 days

Rene Meulensteen, Fulham Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

After a 12-year period in various coaching roles with Manchester United, Meulensteen replaced fellow Dutchman Martin Jol as manager of Fulham in December of the 2013-14 season.

Meulensteen failed to see out the season, as his side slipped to the bottom of the table after losing nine of his 13 games in charge.

Javi Gracia, Leeds United – 69 days

Javi Garcia, Leeds United Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Gracia lasted 69 days in charge of Leeds United before being replaced by Allardyce. Garcia took over in Elland Road following the sacking of Jesse Marsch in their tumultuous 2022-23 season.

The Spanish coach managed just 12 games in all competitions before his reign was cut short. He ended his tenure with three wins, seven losses and two draws.

Les Reed, Charlton Athletic – 40 days

Les Reed, Charlton Athletic Photo by Nick Potts – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

After suffering eight defeats in 12 games in 2006, Les Reed took over at Charlton but failed to improve matters for the south London club.

Reed picked up just four points in seven games, suffered a League Cup exit against Wycombe Wanderers and was sacked on Christmas Eve.

Sam Allardyce, Leeds United – 30 days

Sam Allardyce, Leeds United Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

In 2022-23 Sam Allardyce took over his eighth different club in the Premier League when he became the manager of Leeds United on May 3, 2023. The former England manager was brought in to Elland Road in a last-ditch attempt to stay in the top flight after the club fired Javi Gracia.

Leeds were above relegation on goal difference when Allardyce took the reins on a short-term contract, but he failed to keep them up after claiming just one point in the final four games of the season.

Allardyce’s contract ran out on June 2, leaving his stint in charge of Leeds as the shortest of any permanent Premier League manager in history.

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Forest’s problems do not stem from Postecoglou and it would be unfair to point all the fingers at him.

Issues surfaced in the summer, with Edu, Forest’s global head of sport after his official appointment in June, clashing with Nuno.

The pair disagreed, especially over Nuno’s desire to sign winger Adama Traore – someone he worked with successfully at Wolves – from Fulham.

The appointment of Edu can be viewed as the start of the problems, purely from the viewpoint of what happened with Nuno and how the season has unravelled since.

Edu wanted younger signings with greater resale value, not unrealistic in modern football, but Nuno was unhappy he did not get his man as 21-year-old Omari Hutchinson joined for a club record £37.5m from Ipswich.

Hutchinson was eventually left out of the Europa League squad, although Forest sources have suggested there was little other option when looking at squad balance and who to cut.

Nuno was not sold on left-back Cuiabano, who was close to joining Brighton, with the Seagulls due to send him on loan to the Championship, before Edu pursued a deal then sent him back to Botafogo on loan.

Edu has also been much more visible around the training ground since Nuno’s departure in early September – not unusual for a sporting director, but it is a contrast from his previous routine, having opted to remove himself from a potential combustible situation when Nuno was in charge.

He was aided by head of football operations Ross Wilson, who was asked to stay to oversee the final weeks of the transfer window and leave when the time was right, having agreed to join Newcastle in a deal which was announced last week, and Edu has since naturally stepped up further to fill the gap.

But fingers will also be pointed at the former Arsenal midfielder now.

Forest spent about £180m in the summer and recouped more than £100m, the majority coming from the record £55m transfer of winger Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, having signed the Sweden international for £15m in 2023.

Other sales, like goalkeeper Matt Turner to Lyon and Andrew Omobamidele to Strasbourg, meant fringe players moved, although sources have suggested Danilo, who joined Botafogo, was reluctant to leave Forest, while Jota Silva’s switch to Portugal collapsed at the last minute.

In the final hour of the summer European transfer window a deal for the forward to join Sporting Lisbon on loan for 4m euros was agreed, after weeks of negotiations, but the documents did not arrive with the Portuguese league’s registration platform in time.

Silva instead moved to Besiktas – a club he was happy to join – as the Turkish window remained open until 12 September.

Of their summer signings, only loanees Douglas Luiz and Oleksandr Zinchenko started against Chelsea, while James McAtee, Dilane Bakwa, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Hutchinson – for whom Forest paid more than £100m – were not included, so is there an imbalance in the squad and did Forest not buy well enough?

Postecoglou did not walk into a fully functioning machine, but it had already become clear it was not the right fit.

Forest are now looking to make a swift appointment and it is one Marinakis has to get right this time.

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Enzo Maresca has said Cole Palmer will miss another six weeks with a groin injury, raising doubts over whether the Chelsea forward will be able to regain his England place before the 2026 World Cup.

Palmer, who has been unavailable during the past two international breaks, has been struggling with his fitness since the start of the season and has not played since limping off against Manchester United last month. Chelsea have tried to manage the 23-year-oldâ€s groin injury with rest and are confident it does not need surgery but Maresca has dashed hopes of his most influential player making a swift return.

“Unfortunately he needs to be out for another six weeks,†Chelseaâ€s head coach said as he prepared for his sideâ€s trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. “We try to protect Cole as much as we can. The most important thing is when he comes back he is fully fit. The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough.â€

Cole Palmer will be sidelined for longer than initially expected. Photograph: John Walton/PAShare

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner revealed yesterday that club captain Marc Guehi will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season. Guehi came close to joining Liverpool in a £35million transfer on deadline day before the deal collapsed at the last minute. He will now leave as a free agent next summer.

Glasner said: “I think Marc has already told us that he doesnâ€t sign a new contract, so he will leave next year. The club wanted [him to stay]. They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, ‘no, I want to make something differentâ€. And thatâ€s normal.

“And for us, itâ€s how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And thatâ€s all about how we are talking together.â€

Marc Guehi will leave Crystal Palace as a free agent at the end of the season. Photograph: Matt McNulty/Getty ImagesShare

Speaking of Nottingham Forest, Ben Fisher will be on hand at 11am this morning to answer any questions you may have about the club.

Be sure to email matchday.live@guardian.co.uk with your questions for the Q&A session or leave a comment below the line.

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Ange Postecoglouâ€s future at Nottingham Forest is on the line this afternoon. The 60-year-old is yet to win a match with Forest and is already at risk of being sacked – despite only arriving just over one month ago.

Postecoglou urged the clubâ€s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, to maintain faith in him during his press conference yesterday.

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Todayâ€s Premier League fixtures

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (12:30pm BST)

• Sunderland v Wolves

• Burnley v Leeds United

• Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

• Brighton v Newcastle

• Manchester City v Everton

• Fulham v Arsenal (5:30pm BST)

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Preamble

Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! Premier League and EFL football is finally back after (what felt like) a long international break and business resumes as normal. Iâ€ll be bringing you all the latest updates until the early kick-off which sees Nottingham Forest take on Chelsea at the City Ground.

Weâ€ll also go over some of the top talking points from yesterdayâ€s press conferences – including a huge update on the future of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi – and preview each of todayâ€s Premier League fixtures.

So, without further ado, letâ€s get cracking.

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Updated at 03.18 EDT

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The due diligence already completed towards Postecoglou’s possible replacement provides a clear indication of the jeopardy the Australian faces.

It would be hard for any manager to change the direction of travel in these circumstances.

Of course, Postecoglou will back himself to turn it around. That’s his nature.

Speaking in his pre-match news conference on Friday, he said: “Some look at the weeds but I look at what is growing. I am really excited as I have a group of young players willing to change.

“I just don’t fit, not here, just in general. If you look at it through the prism of ‘I’m a failed manager who’s lucky to get this job’ then of course this first five weeks looks like ‘this guy’s under pressure’. There is an alternative story that you could look at it.”

Owner Marinakis wants him to succeed, having backed Postecoglou’s track record of winning silverware as one of the key factors in why he appointed him in the first place.

Indeed, prior to their previous Premier League outing against Newcastle – that resulted in a 2-0 loss – well-placed sources told BBC Sport Postecoglou still maintained the immediate backing of the Forest owner.

There was, though, recognition that the result and manner of performance at St James’ Park would have a key influence on how Marinakis viewed his manager’s future.

Likewise, there is a feeling Postecoglou has not been helped by refereeing decisions.

For instance, during the Europa League defeat by FC Midtjylland – during which supporters turned on Postecoglou – earlier this month, there was a feeling as many as 14 key decisions went against Forest.

But with that said, the internal scrutiny on Postecoglou is intense.

Victory over Chelsea could mean he takes the first step towards what appears an unlikely road to recovery at Forest.

Lose the game, and the writing is already on the wall.

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Nottingham Forest are without a win since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo with Australian manager Ange Postecoglou.

Amid reports that owner Evangelos Marinakis is considering making a second managerial change of the season just seven games into Postecoglou’s tenure, the Forest boss has spoken out on his future.

This weekend, the team host Chelsea in the early kick-off at the City Ground, live on TNT Sports.

Failure to win for an eighth successive match could spell the end for Postecoglou, just months on from his Europa League triumph and subsequent sacking by Tottenham Hotspur.

“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.”

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Bayern Munich might join the race for Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace plan to offer Adam Wharton a new contract, and Napoli target loan move for Kobbie Mainoo.

Bayern Munich are interested in Crystal Palace’s 25-year-old England defender Marc Guehi, who is out of contract at the end of the season and had a deadline-day move to Liverpool collapse last month. (Sky Germany – in German), external

Crystal Palace plan to offer Adam Wharton a new contract to try to ward off interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the 21-year-old England midfielder. (Mail), external

Napoli are in pole position to sign Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, on loan in January after maintaining contact with the Premier League club since the summer. (Sky Switzerland – in French), external

Eintracht Frankfurt are targeting a January loan move for Newcastle and Denmark striker William Osula, 22. (Sky Sports), external

Fulham manager Marco Silva is a long-term target for Nottingham Forest should they sack Ange Postecoglou, though an approach for the Portuguese is unlikely to happen before the end of the season. (Mail), external

Manchester United believe defender Lisandro Martinez, 27, might return from his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury before the end of the year. The Argentine has not played for the club in eight months. (Sun), external

Barcelona might make a move next summer for Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward Karim Adeyemi, 23, with his contract at the Bundesliga ending in 2027. (Sky Switzerland – in French), external

Manchester City have no intention of selling Spain midfielder Rodri, 29, to Real Madrid for any price. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United see Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as the perfect replacement for Ruben Amorim should they sack the Portuguese coach. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Real Madrid are unlikely to sanction a January move for Turkey midfielder Arda Guler, 20, despite interest from Arsenal and Newcastle. (Football Insider), external

Barcelona and Juventus have concrete plans to sign Manchester City’s Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, while Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Nassr are preparing substantial offers for a player whose contract ends in 2026. (Caught Offside), external

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Ange Postecoglou came out fighting as speculation over his future at Nottingham Forest intensified after a 2-0 Premier League defeat at Newcastle.

The Forest boss has won none of his first seven games since taking over the City Ground hotseat and rumours suggest he could face showdown talks with owner Evangelos Marinakis just weeks into his reign.

However, Postecoglou was in defiant mood as he faced the media at St James’ Park.

Asked if his self-belief had been dented by a difficult start at Forest, he said: “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?

Ange Postecoglou has failed to win any of his first seven matches in charge at Nottingham Forest. Stu Forster/Getty Images

“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.”

He 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.

– Arsenal’s Ødegaard suffers MCL injury
– Late Grealish goal ends Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run
– Rodri’s injury woes continue with early exit

“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.”

Forest were commendably well-organised on Tyneside and frustrated the hosts until 13 minutes into the second half when Bruno Guimarães fired past Matz Sels from distance with the visitors appealing in vain for a foul on Morgan Gibbs-White by Dan Burn in the run-up.

Postecoglou said: “Look, I think it’s just the world we’ve created where referees I just don’t think are going to make those decisions anymore, particularly against the home side. They’re going to let it run and let VAR pick the slack up.”

Thereafter, the Magpies threatened to add to their tally at regular intervals, but had to wait until six minutes from time for Nick Woltemade to extend their advantage from the penalty spot.

Nick Woltemade scored from the spot to give Newcastle a 2-0 lead. Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Head coach Eddie Howe was delighted with his side’s performance and the result after Wednesday night’s 4-0 Champions League victory at Union St.-Gilloise.

Howe said: “[It was] a huge win for us, huge, huge. The players have done really well this week to recover from the Arsenal game in the way that they have and the speed to put that game to the back of our minds and to re-focus on two hugely important games.

“In the Champions League to get our season going in that competition and then the importance of the Premier League, it’s such an important competition for us.

“We maintained very good standards the last few years. We needed to maintain them, so at home I thought it was vital we won today.”

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After Estevaoâ€s late winner at Stamford Bridge last night Chelsea Enzo Maresca set off on a manic touchline dash to celebrate with his team. It was maybe the most fun thing Maresca has ever done and he was sent off, meaning he will watch Chelseaâ€s next match from the stands, but Barney Ronay writes that it is his opposite number yesterday, Arne Slot, who has bigger issues to address when he is next on the touchline:

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At Old Trafford, the dark clouds lifted lifted on Saturday as Benjamin Sesko clicked with his teammates and as he Mason Mount got themselves on the scoresheet. Post-match Mount insisted that the club are “100% behind†embattled boss Ruben Amorim:

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Arsenal, the latest team to inherit the moniker of champions in waiting, handily saw off West Ham on Saturday but they are counting the cost of that victory. Martin Ødegaard picked up a knee injury and had to come off before half time again. Declan Rice, who scored the gameâ€s first goal, also departed early with a back injury.

More from Ed Aarons here:

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Liverpoolâ€s third defeat in a row has seen the spotlight move on to the relationship, or lack thereof, between Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak. The Reds couldnâ€t break down a Chelsea team missing almost all of their first choice centre-backs. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is not concerned, yet: “The more they play together the more they will connect,†the Liverpool manager said. “You have to work really hard to reach a certain level and then itâ€s very hard in football because you also play against very good teams to keep that level going. What I mean by that is consistency.â€

More from Slot here:

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Preamble

Hello, good morning and welcome to Sundayâ€s Matchday live! Before we head of on our international breaks we have one more action-packed day of Premier League action, with five fixtures and the opportunity for UK viewers to go multiview on their Sky boxes with four of those at 2pm.

Before any of that, four fixtures in the WSL. The pick of those is Tottenham v Brighton, two teams hoping to break into the European places.

Then, the East Anglian derby is a lovely little midday livener. Amazingly Ipswich havenâ€t beaten Norwich since 2009. If you want some bizarre pop culture context, the last time the Tractor Boys won this fixture Kanye West hadnâ€t yet interrupted Taylor Swiftâ€s acceptance speech for winning best female video at the MTV Awards (for what itâ€s worth, Beyoncé did have one of the best videos of all time!).

In the Premier League, the narrativecomes from St James†Park but not the home team, who are simply going about their business. Yes, I am of course referring to Ange Postecoglou and the threat hanging over his continued employment as the man in the dugout for Nottingham Forest. The chances of another game without a win are high for the Australian gaffer, with Newcastle nothing if not solid.

Did you know that Crystal Palace havenâ€t lost in ages? They take that proud record to Everton, where the Eagles†ability to recover from a gruelling European away day will be tested. Likewise Aston Villa, who are playing Burnley in a game for the soul of the colour claret.

Quite why Wolves v Brighton is being played on a Sunday at 2pm is not clear. Neither had a European game in midweek, but here we are. Wolves were better at Tottenham last time out, Brighton won at Stamford Bridge. This one is anyoneâ€s guess.

Then in the headline slot, Brentford look to be the Manchester slayers for the second week in a row. City will probably be less accomodating than United, but they are vulnerable, as was evidenced at the Stade Louis II in midweek.

But before we jump into todayâ€s action, letâ€s quickly recap some of the headlines from Saturday…

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Speaking on Friday afternoon, Postecoglou said the Europa League title he won at Tottenham last season, before he was sacked in the summer, demonstrates he does not allow pressure to impact his management.

“It doesn’t enter my head,” he added. “My responsibility lies in making sure this football club progresses and gets to a position where it can challenge for things,” said Postecoglou.

“If I start putting timelines to that or worry about what is going to happen next week then I am not performing the role I have been given.

“I just don’t think it is helpful to anyone. At the end of the day, I have to concentrate on the environment, the training, the way we play, and, as I said last night, I am still very, very strong in my belief that we are not too far away.

“Put it this way – I knew I was getting sacked at Tottenham about three or four months before I did, but that didn’t stop me from winning something.”

The 60-year-old joined Spurs from Celtic in 2023 and supporters initially warmed to the Australian for his attacking style of play, with the Londoners finishing fifth in the Premier League during his first season.

Postecoglou’s second term was more difficult as Spurs finished fourth from bottom in the table. He did, however, lead the club to their first trophy in 17 years as they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Forest visit Newcastle United on Sunday (14:00 BST).

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