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OH NO HE ISN’T! OH YES HE IS!

Arguably the most disliked down-under figure to arrive in this part of England since a villainous hotelier from a long-running series starred in a local pantomime two decades ago, Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at the City Ground could hardly have begun more poorly. Even though the jeers and taunts that TV star the soap veteran was subjected to during a seasonal stage show were mostly in fun, the venom of the invective directed at Postecoglou during Nottingham Forest’s European setback by the Danish side on last Thursday was so severe that it is tough to see the manager who has been in charge for a mere handful of fixtures will remain in post to hear the seasonal boos this Christmas. On more than one occasion the 60-year-old’s shouts of “He’s behind you!” went disregarded by his struggling players, particularly when the opposition scored their first two goals from poorly handled dead-ball situations. A long way from the celebratory mood they’d expected, Forest’s first European home game in 29 years ended in acrimony with supporters telling Postecoglou he’d be “fired by tomorrow”, before praising his popular, newly sacked predecessor, the Portuguese tactician.

“I realize the environment is negative, I know how fans feel, especially about me, but that doesn’t concern me, it’s not unfamiliar territory for me,” Postecoglou growled in reply, while subjecting the ground near him to the now customary intense glare. “Nothing surprises me in football, it’s the way things are. This seems to be the direction. It’s beyond my influence. Supporters are upset, they are allowed to have an opinion on it. I heard their opinion.” Although those supporters are entitled to vent, it could be argued that they might be more sensible picking a better aim for their frustration. After all, it was Evangelos Marinakis who fired a firm fan favourite to hire the Australian, who was always going to begin his reign on a hiding to nothing. Watching from the owners’ area as he went through a series of sullen, fierce looks unseen since that period he found out the North London club had triggered Morgan Gibbs-White’s buyout option, the shipping magnate has thus far mostly avoided any kind of major backlash from supporters, a good number of whom remain convinced the sun shines out of his generously upholstered nether regions.

When Friday lunchtime arrived, talk of the coach’s imminent dismissal proved to be greatly exaggerated and sources indicate his job remains protected until such time as … in reality, it changes. Although the team manager can offer a partial defense that he has had minimal opportunity on the training pitch to implement the style and strategic detail that led to the London club failing to win more than half their league matches last campaign, his side’s schedule remains forbidding and relentless. Facing Newcastle, Chelsea, the Portuguese giants and Bournemouth next up it is tough to imagine from where a initial success under the new boss will come before what could surely be the ultimate sack-race clash against the Red Devils.

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TOP STATEMENT

“I avoid conflicts and disputes, who points fingers, truthfully, I’ll refrain from naming names. However I believe there was some disrespect, along with some incivility, and not a single hello or hi” – Antony criticizes the Red Devils over the unfriendly setting at their stadium, where warmth has seemingly headed south like the team’s form.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

Is there truth the Forest manager has vowed followers he guarantees victory in his next campaign?” – a fan.

I wouldn’t normally to seek to emphasize the cliché that Gunners fans are the game’s biggest moaners, but Thabo Caves (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) does make you ponder. Pointing out that rather than a pair of fixtures per week, Arsenal are having to play over two matches weekly (oh, a half-hour more!) over a specific three-week period (for a team with strong depth in each place to additionally) is not the argument-settler he might believe. Rather it’s just going to have the tiniest violin ensemble getting ready once more, while the other fans sigh in unison” – a different supporter.

I can’t work out whether your latest letter-writers (on multiple matches weekly) are deliberately, mockingly repeating one of the high points of web discussion (safe for work), or accidentally confirming the famous quote about history repeating first as tragedy, then as farce” – a respondent.

For what it’s worth, yesterday’s letter-writer (the prior comments), I’ve always been like that [wanting affluent UK clubs to lose in Europe]. From the time Forest stopped competing in Europe, Uefa football for me has induced a state of seething impotent rage, interrupted now and then by the Eastern European team and, maybe, the Spanish club. I couldn’t care less for the Merseyside club’s successes from the 1980s right up to the Champions League win. I am unmoved by {‘that