IT CAN’T BE HIM! BUT IT IS!
Arguably the least favored Australian to show up in the Nottingham area since a villainous hotelier from a famous TV drama starred in a local pantomime in the early 2000s, the Greek-Australian’s tenure at the City Ground could scarcely have got off to a more inauspicious start. Even though the heckling and shouts that performer the soap veteran was endured during Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood were generally lighthearted, the venom of the abuse hurled at the Forest manager during Nottingham Forest’s European setback by their Scandinavian opponents on Thursday was so severe that it is hard to believe the manager who has been in charge for a mere handful of fixtures will remain in post to listen to the Christmas jeers this December. Multiple times the experienced coach’s shouts of “He’s behind you!” went ignored by his struggling players, particularly when the opposition scored their opening pair from poorly handled free-kicks and corners. A long way from the happy occasion they’d expected, Nottingham Forest’s first continental match at home in nearly three decades ended in bitterness with supporters telling the boss he’d be “fired by tomorrow”, before serenading his favored, recently dismissed previous manager, the Portuguese tactician.
“I realize the environment is negative, I grasp the public’s opinion, chiefly directed at me, but I don’t fret over it, I’ve been here before,” Postecoglou growled in response, while directing the ground near him to the now customary fierce look. “I’m never shocked in this sport, that’s the current environment. This seems to be the direction. It’s beyond my influence. The fans are disappointed, they have every right to their view. I heard their opinion.” Although those followers are free to express anger, it could be suggested that they might be more sensible selecting a better aim for their frustration. In the end, it was the Greek businessman who dismissed a beloved manager to bring in the new boss, who was always going to face a tough task from day one. Observing from the owners’ area as he went through a series of angry, grim faces last witnessed during that occasion he heard Spurs had initiated the player’s buyout option, the shipping magnate has up to now dodged any kind of major backlash from the crowd, a good number of whom remain certain the sun shines out of his generously upholstered nether regions.
By Friday midday, rumours of the manager being fired overnight proved to be greatly exaggerated and sources indicate his job remains safe until such time as … actually, it’s not. While the Forest head coach can argue with some mitigation that he has had very few sessions on the training pitch to instil the style and strategic detail that caused Spurs failing to win 22 of their 38 top-flight games last season, his team’s fixture list remains forbidding and relentless. Facing the North-East side, Chelsea, the European opponents and the Cherries next up it is tough to imagine from where a first Postecoglou win will come before what could surely be the biggest dismissal-decider against the Red Devils.
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TOP STATEMENT
“I steer clear of heated debates, who singles out individuals, in fact, I won’t mention anyone’s name here. Yet I believe there was some disrespect, plus some impoliteness, with no one giving you a ‘good morning’, a ‘good afternoon’” – the United player slams his club over the frosty environment at Old Trafford, where warmth has likely worsened like the side’s performance.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Can it be the coach has promised Forest fans he guarantees victory in his next campaign?” – a reader.
Far be it for me to want to amplify the trope that Gunners fans are the sport’s most complaining followers, but Thabo Caves (the previous day’s mailbag) does make you ponder. Noting that rather than a pair of fixtures per week, the North London side are having to play 2.33 games a week (wow, 30 additional minutes!) over a specific three-week period (for a squad with two good options for every position to boot) is not the debate-ender he might believe. Rather it’s just going to have the orchestra of the world’s smallest violins tuning up their instruments once more, while the wider sport roll their collective eyes” – another reader.
I can’t work out whether your current contributors (on two or three games a week) are consciously, ironically recreating one of the high points of internet discourse (SFW), or inadvertently demonstrating Marx’s adage about past occurrences returning as comedy” – a respondent.
To comfort you, Bob Cushion (the prior comments), I’ve always been like that [hoping wealthy English teams to be defeated abroad]. Since Forest lost the ability to negotiate Europe, continental matches for me has caused a state of frustrated anger, broken up only sometimes by the Romanian side and, maybe, the Spanish club. I couldn’t care less for Liverpool’s exploits from the 1980s right up to the Champions League win. I’m indifferent to {‘that
