Socceroos legend drops truth bomb as fans react to historic Ange Postecoglou axing

Socceroos legend Mark Bosnich says Ange Postecoglou should take an extended break to reassess his managerial career after a historic axing from Nottingham Forest. The former Tottenham manager - who was also sacked by Spurs earlier this year - saw his tenure at Forest brutally ended after a 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea in the English Premier League.

It continued a dismal run of results for Postecoglou since he succeeded Nuno Espírito Santo as Forest manager, with the Aussie winless in his eight games in charge. The former Socceroos coach came into the Chelsea clash with serious doubts around his future and his fate was decided less than 20 minutes after the final whistle.

The writing had been on the wall for Postecoglou, who was subjected to boos from supporters and calls for his sacking even before the Chelsea loss. And despite an insistence from the Aussie manager that he needed time to mould the squad to fit his enterprising style of football, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis made the brutal call to show him the door after just 39 days in charge.

It marks the shortest full-time managerial reign in Premier League history, and delivers a hammer blow to Postecoglou's hopes of landing another gig in the English top-flight. But Socceroos legend Bosnich said the axing shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the Forest owner's previous track record and Postecoglou's diametrically opposed style of football compared to his predecessor.

Forest owner sacks Ange Postecoglou in ruthless move

"If he lost heavily yes I did expect this," Bosnich told SEN radio. "3-0 is 3-0, the crowd started leaving 20 minutes before the end, this did not surprise me at all. The team Ange inherited is the antithesis of the style he plays and he didn't have the luxury of time or a transfer window.

"You have to look at who his boss is. A very successful businessman. Ange was his eighth manager in eight years at Forest. We know from that and the way he runs clubs, he doesn't mess around. Marinakis didn't have too much pride to say 'enough is enough'. It's not good news obviously and the thing now for Ange is where to next?"

Bosnich does not believe Postecoglou will be back in the Premier League anytime soon, following disastrous ends to his stints at Forest and Spurs. In his last 17 games for both clubs, Postecoglou has just the solitary win to his name. He did guide Tottenham to Europa League glory after they beat Manchester United in this year's final but even the club's first trophy in 17 years couldn't paper over Spurs' 17th-placed league finish last season.

"It's not a good record," Bosnich added. "Maybe it's time to sit back and have a look at where things are going. "Right now, the EPL is not the place for him. I expected him to have a sabbatical after Spurs and maybe make a return in January.

"I think he takes a break now and then looks for opportunities in January or the start of next season. Other options will arise around Europe. The fact he won the Europa League will always count in his favour."

Speaking after the match, Forest captain Ryan Yates admitted the sacking was not a 'massive surprise' considering the club's woeful form. But the reaction to Postecoglou's axing around the football world has been mixed, with many arguing that he deserved more time to put his stamp on the team.

Forest actually dominated large chunks of the game against Chelsea but squandered numerous chances to put the ball into the back of the net. There were promising signs that Postecoglou's methods were to beginning to bear fruit, but the brutal reality is football is a results-based business and they were sorely lacking for the Aussie manager.

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