When Evangelos Marinakis burst out of the Nottingham Forest owner’s box shortly after his team lost 3-0 to Chelsea, his resolve was solidified. Greece’s chief executive may not even have seen Reece James’ late goal, further worsening the fortunes of manager Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked as head coach after just 39 days in charge.
But as Marinakis mulls over his decision to hire a third manager this season, he need look no further than himself to blame for the mess Forest are in. Just a few months ago they secured European football and praise was lavished on Nuno Espirito Santo for his achievements.
Dating back to Oct. 18, he was fired primarily due to a falling out with Marinakis and publicly complaining about the hiring. Edu has been brought in by Arsenal to oversee operations as global head of football.
And they decided on Mr. Postecoglou. Just over a month ago, Marinakis said: “He is a man with a proven and consistent track record of winning trophies. His experience of coaching teams at the highest level and his desire to build something special with us at Forest make him a great person to help us on our journey and consistently achieve all our ambitions.”
The writing was quickly on the wall after Forest lost 3-0 to Arsenal just four days later. Coach Postecoglou did not win a single game in his eight games in charge, but it was clear that he was left in charge of a team that his predecessor was not happy with, and that he was also an owner who was happy with Trigger.
Marinakis has almost single-handedly elevated Forest, the envy of most Premier League clubs, to a team with relegation in their sights.
And with all eyes currently on the next head coach, with Sean Dyche, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag among the names being mentioned, Forest manager may have the task of convincing one of them to take over.
The Daily Mail argues that convincing Dyche about a potential contract length was problematic and who could blame the coach for making reservations.
Forest’s next eight games include trips to Liverpool and Bournemouth, a home game against Manchester United on November 1, and three games in the Europa League.
If the team doesn’t perform well by Christmas, what can they do to stop Marinakis from being fired?
The club has a lot of talent, including Elliott Anderson, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Murillo, but any manager knows they will arrive under extreme pressure, with no transfer window or pre-season to shape the team’s image.
The team is often accused of sleepwalking towards relegation, but Forest are heading in that direction with added bells and whistles thanks to Marinakis.
