I’VE been on a pitch and heard fans chanting that my manager is getting sacked in the morning and it’s never nice.
Those Nottingham Forest players will have experienced that with Ange Postecoglou on Thursday night, and seen his post-match interview, and they will know something isn’t right.
GettyAnge Postecoglou is already under pressure at Nottingham Forest[/caption]
GettyThe Nottingham Forest boss was taunted by fans on Thursday[/caption]
They’re not stupid, and Ange doesn’t help himself in these situations. We saw it at Tottenham when s**t hit the fan, and the early signs are he’s dealing with it in the same way.
But the god’s honest truth is that the only players that will truly be affected by it will be the ones who aren’t happy at the club, or who are already looking for a way out.
Let’s take Morgan Gibbs-White as an example. He came so close to joining Tottenham in the summer before signing that long-term deal mainly because Nuno Espirito Santo was the manager.
He got them into Europe and the future looked bright.
All of a sudden, Ange is brought in and the mood has changed dramatically. You’re losing games, the fans aren’t happy and there is now massive pressure to turn it around.
Gibbs-White should rightly be concerned, yet I expect he will be one of the few who will still work his hardest for the manager, especially with the World Cup approaching next year.
But I am telling you now, there will definitely be others who will use this current situation as an excuse, because that’s what most players do.
They will use the anger and uncertainty towards Ange as the reason they aren’t playing well, or the reason they are making wrong decisions in games that cost Forest.
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But you can’t really take aim at these players, and it’s unfair to lay it all on Ange, because this was a decision made by the owner Evangelos Marinakis. He’s to blame.
Let’s call it what it is at Forest right now – a f***ing mess.
Of course, Ange should have picked up at least one win in his opening six games, especially when they’ve played the likes of Burnley and Sunderland in the Prem, Swansea in the Carabao Cup, as well as their recent 3-2 Europa League defeat to Midtjylland.
But I can’t describe how hard it is for a squad to change from one style of play to another under two different managers in the space of a few weeks without a pre-season.
I have been there and done it, and it’s so tough.
We had it in 2019/20 with Watford, starting the season with the pragmatic approach of Javi Gracia to a more open style with Quique Sanchez Flores and then finishing the season back to being solid and tough to beat with Nigel Pearson.
That was three different changes in ONE season, the year we got relegated from the Prem. It really does leave you frazzled as a player, mentally and physically.
Thankfully, I was injured in the middle of that season, but the rest of our squad really struggled with the mayhem and the changes.
So I can relate to Forest struggling right now. They had a really regimented 4-3-3 under Nuno, sitting deep and countering, working their b*****ks off and enjoying one of their best seasons for decades.
ReutersPostecoglou’s future at the City Ground is already in doubt[/caption]
Then Ange comes in with no pre-season, no time, the odd training session, and wants to rip that up completely and expects as quick a turnaround as possible playing a sort of five-a-side style football.
It just doesn’t happen. Impossible, especially when you’ve got mid-week games. Saturday, Tuesday, Sunday, Thursday on repeat.
They will be spending more time watching iPad clips on the coach than actually working on the training ground.
Had they played Burnley in Ange’s first game, they may have got some momentum. Instead, they got smashed 3-0 by Arsenal and then it’s been bang, bang, bang since then.
This isn’t Sunday league. You’re not playing mugs. You can’t get away with it.
And as soon as you hesitate, or take a second too long to think about something at this level, you’re toast. It’s like you’re in a nightmare.
Look at Harry Maguire against Brentford for that opening goal in Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat last week – he thought about following his man and then realised Ruben Amorim wants a high line so tried to play offside and got it wrong, and he’s had a whole year to take that information in!
I remember when Usain Bolt broke the 100m record. Afterwards he spoke about how he just zoned out and felt so free. He didn’t have to think about anything.
Compare that with Forest who are now overthinking every run, every pass. It’s just not clicking. Ange can turn this around with a few wins, but how long will that take?
PALACE MUST KEEP GLASNER
CRYSTAL PALACE need to make keeping Oliver Glasner their number one priority.
They have had a brilliant start to the season, but don’t forget that towards the end of the window how unhappy Glasner was with the lack of recruitment.
GettyCrystal Palace must keep Oliver Glasner[/caption]
And had they sold Marc Guehi on Deadline Day, I am convinced he would have walked.
Right now, Palace owe everything to Glasner – he has won them a trophy, took them to Europe and proved he is one of the best managers around right now.
With him in charge, Palace can really do things, regardless of selling the likes of Guehi and Eberechi Eze. The players have fallen in love with him and hang on his every word.
So, when January comes around, they need to back him and give him the right tools, because their summer business was not good enough, and they could lose someone like Adam Wharton or Jean-Philippe Mateta soon too.
Palace are only where they are because of Glasner’s management skills – he’s a class act.
I understand the links to Manchester United because he plays a 3-4-3 system far better than Ruben Amorim can at the moment, but I would really like to warn Glasner against it.
Because managing Palace and managing United is chalk and cheese. Just look at someone like David Moyes, going from Everton to Old Trafford.
Glasner is getting the best out of Palace, but can they get the best out of him? We will see.
GettyGlasner has been linked with a move to United to replace under-fire Ruben Amorim[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
