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'It was brutal': Ange breaks silence on Forest sacking
Emily Benammar • March 25th, 2026 12:02 pm
Ange Postecoglou has detailed the brutality of his Nottingham Forest sacking, saying he knew very early on in the role it was not a good fit for him.
The Australian was dismissed after just 39 days and eight matches at the helm of the Premier League club.
He failed to win a single game with his fate sealed after a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last October.
It was his second Premier League sacking inside six months, having been shown the door at Tottenham last June, despite leading the club to glory in the Europa League and securing their first trophy in 17 years.
In an exclusive interview with SEN, and the first he has given to Australian media since leaving Forest, Postecoglou lifted the lid on exactly what happened that day.
Asked by Gerard Whateley if he was hurt by the actions of Evangelos Marinakis – the Greek owner of Forest, renowned for being impatient with coaches – Postecoglou said: “If I were younger, it probably would have (hurt) but it didn’t hurt me because in the end I take responsibility for it.
“There were enough people around me saying it’s probably not a good idea – and that’s in the mildest of terms. I thought it was a challenge; I didn’t like not working, and it almost looked like it wasn’t going to be a good fit for me right from the beginning.
“I think if they had held off a bit, we would have turned a corner. I’ve come through worse terms than that.
“It didn’t work out, it’s probably hurt me reputationally probably here in the EPL for sure, but I don’t worry about that. It didn’t leave any marks on me as a person or a football manager.
“If anything, it allowed me to know that next time, I will seek some counsel before I bite off more than I can chew.”
Asked by Whateley to explain exactly what happened on that afternoon in October, Postecoglou continued: “I haven’t told the story, but it was brutal. I was sacked straight after the game.
“I was in the coaches' room, I knew it was coming, I knew it could come any day, but they sacked me straight after the game. I hadn’t done the presser yet, but the press knew.
“I was walking into the corridors; I wanted to leave, otherwise I was going to do something I regret. I hadn’t spoken to the assistant coaches, who I knew were also probably going to be sacked, and I needed to talk to them.
“I’m doing this while walking through press and people who are all looking at me. I wanted to get out of there. All the roads were blocked.
“I spoke to (wife) Georgia for a bit, and after half an hour, the roads opened. I got stuck at the traffic lights for 15 minutes, I had Chelsea fans giving it to me, Forest fans weren’t much kinder, and then I had little kids coming up and asking for a selfie.
“I paid for my penance. I paid a heavy price.
“It may have affected me at a different stage of my life, but I’ve had 28 unbelievable years. Things I could never have dreamed of as a kid. I had a bad couple of months, really, who cares?”
Ange Postecoglou joins Gerard Whateley
