Nottingham Forest have sacked head coach Ange Postecoglou only 17 minutes after Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea — ending his reign after just 39 days in charge.
The Australian’s tenure, which began on 9 September, is now officially the shortest permanent managerial spell in Premier League history, surpassing Les Reed’s 40-day stint at Charlton Athletic in 2006.
Postecoglou failed to win any of his eight games at the helm, registering just two draws and six defeats across all competitions.
Forest earned only one point from his five Premier League matches, sitting 17th at the time of his departure — and dropping into the bottom three after later results.
“Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that after a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement. “The club will make no further comment at this time.”
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was in attendance at the City Ground but left his seat midway through the second half.
The dismissal was delivered by a senior club official rather than Marinakis himself, which is understood to be standard practice.
Postecoglou, 60, reportedly addressed his players in the dressing room after the defeat, apologising for not delivering the turnaround he had hoped for.
Assistant coaches Nick Montgomery, Mile Jedinak and Sergio Raimundo are also expected to depart.
Forest are looking to make a swift appointment, with Sean Dyche and Fulham boss Marco Silva both under consideration. Silva previously worked with Marinakis at Olympiacos, who the Greek businessman also owns.
The atmosphere at the City Ground turned sour late on as Reece James sealed Chelsea’s win, prompting many home fans to leave early and others to jeer at full-time.
Postecoglou’s brief reign surpasses Reed’s 40-day Charlton spell in 2006, while Frank de Boer still holds the record for the fewest matches managed by a permanent Premier League boss — four at Crystal Palace in 2017.
Reflecting on the sacking, Forest captain Ryan Yates told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“Ange came in after the game, debriefed as usual, and then I went out for some running. When I came back, the news had broken that he was gone. Everyone has to take responsibility — it’s not fair to put it all on one person. We’ve got to look at ourselves and go again because things in football can change really quickly.”
