Why is Ange Postecoglou replacing Nuno Espírito Santo at Nottingham Forest?

Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is set to be the man to replace Nuno at the City Ground.

RadioTimes.com explains why Nuno Espírito Santo has left Nottingham Forest – and why Ange Postecoglou has been appointed to replace him.

Why did Nottingham Forest sack Nuno Espírito Santo?

It's fair to say Nuno has experienced a strained relationship with the top brass at Nottingham Forest, though making sense of which relationships broke down has been trickier to determine.

Marinakis's post-match pitch invasion was said to be a result of frustration after substitute Taiwo Awoniyi was not removed from the game by Nuno after he collided with a goal post. The striker moved awkwardly around the pitch for the final 10 minutes as they failed to beat Leicester, denting their hopes of Champions League football.

Forest said in a statement: “In moments like that [Marinakis] demonstrates his leadership, not just through words, but through action and presence. The truth of the matter is there was no confrontation, with Nuno or with others, either on the pitch or inside the stadium.

“There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue. In light of this, we urge former coaches and players, and other public figures in the game, to resist the urge to rush to judgment and fake news online, especially when they do not have the full facts and context.”

After returning for the new Premier League season, Nuno stated the relationship between manager and owner had "changed". He added: "It's not so close. It's not on a daily basis. It's not good, everyone at the club should be together but it's not the reality."

Marinakis claimed the pair had a "solid relationship" but reports suggest the true feud has rumbled between Nuno and former Arsenal player and chief Edu.

The Athletic's Daniel Taylor stated Nuno and Edu's relationship "started badly" and even led to the latter staying away from the club's training ground as things became "deeply personal" between the pair.

Forest's 3-0 defeat to beleaguered West Ham (who lost 3-0 and 5-1 in their opening two matches) immediately before the international break, typically seen as a fire-hire opportunity for managers, will have added to the perfect storm that saw Nuno depart.

Why are Nottingham Forest replacing Nuno Espírito Santo with Ange Postecoglou?

Sure, managers and owners irreparably fall out: football is an emotional game, humans are an emotional species – it's going to happen.

Nuno's exit is not a surprise, but replacing him with Ange Postecoglou certainly would be.

The ousted Nuno saved the club from relegation in his first term, converted Chris Wood into a 20-goal striker, guided his team from 17th to seventh and acquired Europa League football in his only full season.

Postecoglou led his team from fifth to 17th in the same time period, though capped off his Spurs reign with a Europa League trophy after defeating Manchester United in the final in May.

Injuries played a part in Spurs' demise, but critics would point to Postecoglou's risky tactics, featuring a high back line and aggressive press, as the true source of their woes.

The shift in style from Nuno's more cautious, much deeper, counter-attacking system may cause a few heads to spin on and off the field at first, but results must flow quickly to avoid a fan revolt after losing a favoured boss.

Of course, Spurs went all the way in Europe, which has clearly come into Marinakis's thinking, and Ange's record prior to Spurs is exemplary, albeit in lesser divisions compared to the Premier League. Famously – or infamously – he "always wins things in [his] second year".

In our opinion, he'd do well to make it to the second year still in charge.

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