Pressure Won't Affect Me, Affirms Confident Postecoglou

Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou maintains that external scrutiny regarding his role will not impact his approach.

The club is winless in his initial half-dozen games since the Australian took over from Nuno Espirito Santo at the club's stadium.

A group of Forest supporters shouted, "you'll be dismissed in the morning", towards the ex- Tottenham and Celtic manager following Thursday's 3-2 European defeat at their ground to the Danish side.

The Manager's Response to Criticism

Postecoglou, though, mentioned that the European title he secured at Tottenham the previous campaign, before being sacked in the off-season, was evidence he does not allow external factors to affect his coaching.

"It doesn't enter my head," he continued. "My responsibility lies in making sure this football club advances and gets to a level where it can compete for titles," stated Postecoglou.

"Should I begin putting timelines to that or stress over what is going to happen soon then I am not performing the position I have been assigned.

"I believe it is helpful to anyone. Ultimately, I have to focus on the environment, the practice sessions, the way we play, and as I mentioned last night, I am still very, very strong in my belief that we are close to success.

"To explain - I was aware I was being dismissed at Tottenham about three or four months prior to I was, but that didn't prevent me from securing a trophy."

Career Background

The 60-year-old moved to Spurs from Celtic in the previous year and fans at first embraced the Australian for his attacking playing style, with the London club ending up 5th in the Premier League during his first season.

Postecoglou's second term was more difficult as Spurs finished 17th in the standings. He nevertheless, lead the team to their initial silverware in 17 years as they beat Manchester United in the European final.

Current Circumstances

Forest travel to Newcastle United on the weekend (14:00 BST).

Amid the poor run of results, there is little doubt it has been a challenging start for Postecoglou.

And the statistics illustrate just how disappointing Forest have been since his appointment.

Performance Analysis

• In Postecoglou's six matches, they have lost on four occasions across multiple competitions
• No Premier League team has lost as numerous games as Forest since his appointment
• They have allowed 13 goals - at a rate of over two per game
• Only Manchester United and Burnley have a poorer defensive per game average than Forest since Postecoglou's appointment
• Unexpectedly, it is the 35th instance in which a Premier League manager has failed to win in any of first six fixtures in every tournament

Historical Context

Paul Jewell holds the unenviable mark, having failed to win in his initial twenty-seven games as Derby County boss in the 2007/08 season.

Nuno was fired after only three matches of this season when Forest were 10th in the standings. They are currently 17th, having tied once and lost two of their three domestic games under Postecoglou.

He is the first permanent Forest coach in a century not to secure a victory in his initial six matches.

Supporter Viewpoint

This campaign should have been one of Nottingham Forest's finest in recent times. Entry into Europe for the initial occasion in 30 years, the strongest team this millennium and everyone at the club working towards the same direction.

Somehow, currently, that has completely vanished out of the window. Nuno has departed, displays have been abject and on the recent evening the stadium turned on the recent appointment Ange Postecoglou after only six games.

However it's very much characteristic Forest, a team that shifts from success to self-made disaster like a novice motorist who fails to remain in a lane.

Future Challenges

With games against Newcastle, the Blues, Porto, Bournemouth and Manchester United coming up, it's quite difficult to predict if he can turn it around before it becomes even more toxic.

But question any fan and they'll inform you the identical thing, it's never dull at Nottingham Forest.