Newly appointed Forest boss begins his tenure with a trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal
Ange Postecoglou has said he has “nothing to prove” to anyone after being appointed the new Nottingham Forest coach.
Forest appointed Postecoglou as their new manager following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.
Postecoglou had been heavily criticised at Tottenham after leading the club to a 17th-place finish, their worst ever Premier League finish, although he also won their first major trophy since 2008 when his side defeated Manchester United to win the Europa League in Bilbao.
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” said the Australian in his press conference ahead of his first game, an early kick-off fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates.
“I really believe you let your actions speak for themselves and you understand the responsibility you have to provide joy to the supporters. That’s why clubs exist.
“I guarantee you I could win things here and people will still have doubts about me.”
Nuno led Forest from a relegation battle in 2023-24 to a sixth-place finish last season, bringing European football to the club for the first time in 30 years. However, he was sacked by club owner Evangelos Marinakis after falling out with the hierarchy, particularly new sporting director Edu Gaspar.
Marinakis’ appointment of Postecoglou is not particularly surprising given both their emphasis on winning. The former Tottenham boss arrived at the Premier League in 2023 claiming he always wins things in his first season, and he backed that up by lifting the Europa League.
Marinakis will be riding on that and hoping the Australian can deliver success to Nottingham Forest.
“When the President took over, he set this ambition and he’s backed it up,” said Postecoglou. “I’m sure if you ask anyone about the club, they’re not trying to put anyone wrong. They’ve just got this vision in their head about what they want this football club to be.
“I just want to keep doing what I’m doing because it brings joy to people and it allows me to live my dreams.”
