Ange Postecoglou took charge of his final game as Nottingham Forest manager on Saturday. (Image: Getty)
Ange Postecoglou will not win a trophy in his second season at Nottingham Forest. Just five months after appearing in the Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur and making good on his promise to win a trophy in his second season with the club, the Australian was sacked by Forest manager after just 39 days.
The former Celtic manager’s last game was a 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea, with his players missing a number of chances and once again failing to defend from a cross. Coach Postecoglou did not even have time to hold a post-match press conference or give an interview before the news of his dismissal was officially announced by the club. He had only one draw and one defeat in his first two games in the Europa League, leaving the team 25th in the Europa League standings with Forest in the relegation zone. As Forest consider a third manager this season, Express Sport looks at five managers available to Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis.
ole gunnar solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was released by Besiktas at the end of August and is currently a free agent. The former Manchester United manager’s trip to Türkiye has gone smoothly, leading his side to a respectable fourth place.
However, after losing to Switzerland’s Lausanne in the Conference League playoffs, that wall came crashing down on him, and his hopes of competing in Europe this season ended. The Turkish giants immediately sent off the Norwegian player.
Solskjaer’s experience of joining a club mid-season and immediately improving results and performances could make him an ideal fit for Forest’s manager. The baby-faced Assassin’s best spell at United, similar to Nuno Espirito-Santo’s best work at the City Ground, saw the Red Devils play with great speed, capitalize on turnovers and beat teams on the counter-attack.
The United legend will no doubt be delighted to be back in the Premier League almost four years after being sacked as Red Devils manager.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be keen on taking on Forest (Image: Getty)
Sean Dyche
Forest are currently in the relegation zone, having fallen to 18th place. When it comes to getting a team above that dreaded dotted line, there’s probably no better coach than Sean Dyche.
Everton were on the verge of falling out of the Championship in the final stages of building their new stadium, but the result would have been disastrous until Dyche took over and steadied the ship. In the 2023-24 season, the Toffees were deducted eight points, but their performances and results were very solid, with them 14 points above the drop zone and 40 points.
With the season a few months old and the Europa League campaign still in its early stages, Marinakis may think it’s not yet the time to break the ‘in case of relegation’ glass and bring in Diche. But the former Burnley manager would certainly jump at the chance to take over a team with Forest’s talent and European standing.
At the time of writing, Daish is the favorite among bookmakers on the torrent side.
Sean Dyche is known for leading his team out of a relegation battle (Image: Getty)
eric ten hag
Erik ten Hag had barely healed the wounds of his Man United sacking before being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen. The Dutchman was appointed as Xabi Alonso’s replacement, but was sent off after 10 weeks due to poor performance.
However, Marinakis selected Postecoglou because he believed the Australian could bring him the Europa League and another trophy. Ten Hag brings a trophy-winning record, having won the League Cup and FA Cup with United and three Eredivisie titles with Ajax.
Given the nightmare 10 weeks spent at Leverkusen, it would definitely be a huge risk to sack Postecoglou so quickly and then appoint Ten Hag. Still, if Marinakis is brave enough to roll the dice again, he might go all out for Ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag only took on too much responsibility in two Bundesliga games before being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen (Image: Getty)
Marco Silva
This move will likely be one of the more difficult for Forest, with Marco Silva still at Fulham. However, the Portuguese manager was frustrated by the lack of signings the Cottages had in the summer.
He also left the club midway through the season in search of new opportunities, moving from Watford to Everton. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, Silva was Olympiakos’ manager for just over a year, so he and Marinakis know each other well.
Silva also won the Greek Championship during his brief stay in Greece, and that experience may make him less nervous about taking the position than other managers.
Marco Silva is still active at Fulham (Image: Getty)
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic in the summer of 2023, shortly after managing Leicester City’s relegation campaign. The Foxes were punching above their weight under the Northern Irishman before things suddenly went awry at the King Power Stadium.
He became the first manager in Leicester’s history to win the FA Cup, leading Leicester to qualification for the Europa League and coming very close to qualifying for the Champions League. Forest’s current team resembles the one Rodgers had during his best days at Leicester.
There are a lot of good players at the City Ground who are full internationals. Rodgers has left Celtic before, but if Marinakis’ pitching is convincing enough, there’s a good chance he’ll leave Celtic again. But with the Glasgow giants competing with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership title race and also in the Europa League, Rodgers may not be ready to throw in the towel in Scotland to take over a team in the Premier League relegation zone.
Forest’s candidates for the vacancy include Roberton Mancini, Rafael Benitez, Steven Gerrard, Danny Rolle and Steve Cooper.
