‘Watch your back!’ Could Postecoglou be the true antagonist in Nottingham Forest’s drama?

NO WAY! ABSOLUTELY YES!

Quite possibly the least favored Aussie to show up in Nottinghamshire since a villainous hotelier from a long-running series starred in a local pantomime 20 years back, the Greek-Australian’s reign at the City Ground could scarcely have got off to a more inauspicious start. Although the jeers and taunts that actor the Neighbours star was faced during Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood were largely good-natured, the toxicity of the abuse aimed at the Forest manager during the team’s European setback by their Scandinavian opponents on last Thursday was so intense that it is hard to believe the manager who has been in charge for just six matches will still be around to endure the festive cat-calls this Christmas. Repeatedly the veteran manager’s shouts of “He’s behind you!” went disregarded by his struggling players, especially when the Danish side scored their initial strikes from atrociously defended set-pieces. A long way from the celebratory mood they’d hoped for, Nottingham Forest’s first UEFA fixture on home soil in almost 30 seasons ended in bitterness with supporters telling the boss he’d be “sacked in the morning”, before praising his popular, recently dismissed predecessor, the ex-Wolves coach.

“I get the mood around the place isn’t going to be great, I understand people’s attitude, particularly towards me, but I don’t fret over it, it’s not unfamiliar territory for me,” the coach retorted in answer, while directing the ground near him to the now customary intense glare. “I’m never shocked in this sport, it’s the climate we’re in. It seems that’s the way things are going. It’s beyond my influence. Supporters are upset, they have every right to their view. I listened to what they said.” Although those supporters are allowed to complain, it could be contended that they might be more sensible selecting a more appropriate target for their ire. After all, it was Evangelos Marinakis who sacked a beloved manager to hire the new boss, who was always going to face a tough task from day one. Observing from the directors’ box as he went through a repertoire of sullen, fierce looks unseen since that time he heard Spurs had triggered Morgan Gibbs-White’s transfer clause, the shipping magnate has up to now dodged any kind of harsh judgement from the crowd, a fair few of whom remain convinced the he is beyond reproach.

As the clock ticked past noon on Friday, rumours of the coach’s imminent dismissal proved to be unfounded and it appears his job remains protected until such time as … in reality, it changes. Although the Forest head coach can argue with some mitigation that he has had minimal opportunity on the training pitch to implement the philosophy and tactical nuance that caused Tottenham Hotspur failing to win a majority of their Premier League fixtures last campaign, his club’s upcoming matches remains forbidding and relentless. Facing the Magpies, the London club, Porto and the Cherries coming soon it is tough to imagine from where a first Postecoglou win will come before what could possibly become the mother of all El Sackicos against Manchester United.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I steer clear of heated debates, who singles out individuals, truthfully, I won’t mention anyone’s name here. However I believe there was some disrespect, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a ‘good morning’, a ‘good afternoon’” – Antony takes a pop at the Red Devils over the cold atmosphere at their stadium, where warmth has seemingly headed south like the side’s performance.

FAN MAILBAG

Is it true Ange Postecoglou has vowed followers he never loses a game in his following term?” – a fan.

I wouldn’t normally to want to amplify the cliché that Gunners fans are football’s whiniest fans, but a correspondent (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) does make you think. Highlighting that rather than a pair of fixtures per week, the Gunners are having to play 2.33 games a week (wow, 30 additional minutes!) over a specific three-week period (for a squad with double coverage in all roles to boot) is not the discussion-closer he might imagine. On the contrary it’s just going to have the orchestra of the world’s smallest violins tuning up their instruments once more, while the other fans roll their collective eyes” – Andrew Parker.

I can’t work out whether your latest letter-writers (on multiple matches weekly) are intentionally, sarcastically mimicking one of the high points of online debate (SFW), or inadvertently demonstrating Marx’s adage about past occurrences returning as comedy” – a fan.

If it’s any solace, the previous correspondent (the last mailbag), I’m the same [wishing wealthy English teams to fail on the continent]. From the time Forest stopped competing in Europe, continental matches for me has induced a state of seething impotent rage, broken up only sometimes by the Eastern European team and, maybe, the Spanish club. I couldn’t care less for Liverpool’s exploits from the eighties right up to the Champions League win. I feel nothing for {‘that