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Replacing a team icon was consistently going to be a tough task, but Nuno Espírito Santo succeeded to achieve a shrewd strategy after Steve Cooper’s exit: securing victories in his first two matches. A great deal is overlooked about the opening six months of Nuno’s time in charge, when the squad survived just one position above the drop zone and endured a stretch of taking victory in only one time in 10 Premier League matches.

The former boss had done the vital task of raising morale and winning over the supporters by defeating Newcastle away and creating enthusiasm by beating a major rival at home, and nobody was calling for aesthetic football. The City Ground was buzzing in the end of 2023, and home fans did not mind that they witnessed only another two victories there for the rest of the campaign.

The club fans demand the manager axe after less than a month following continental defeat.

The Australian coach is still waiting to taste a win, becoming the initial Forest head coach in a hundred years to fail to win any of their first six fixtures. There was a toxic atmosphere at the stadium on the recent matchday as they lost to the second-best team in the Danish league. When supporters are demanding your sacking after 23 days, it is reasonable to say the situation are not going well. On Friday there were no plans to dismiss Postecoglou but a loss at Newcastle on the weekend could end his job.

Everyone at the club accepted there would be a phase of transition because the Australian’s tactical approach is almost a polar opposite to the one his predecessor finely tuned there. The strategy was developing under the Portuguese but not at the pace the new boss is attempting to introduce.

Starting with four away games was always going to be a tough ask for the manager. Kicking off at Arsenal meant building positive energy from the outset was improbable but losing at a Championship team in the Carabao Cup and tying at Burnley put him on the back foot. The match at Real Betis seemed to be a turning point because the showing was impressive and fitting with expectations regarding Postecoglou’s style. The processes were correct and, if not for a last-minute Antony goal, success would have commenced.

However Forest remain stuck. If the coach could have been forgiven for the away results, falling at their stadium to Sunderland and a European side was never part of the thinking. There was a element of explanation in the first City Ground loss: a soft set-piece award that led to the decisive goal and appalling finishing from Forest meant the result went back to the opposing team. Forest had almost the majority of the ball and multiple attempts but outscoring an opponent on xG is irrelevant.

Ange Postecoglou and a key player will want to turn the team’s fortunes around at Newcastle on the upcoming matchday.

There was a belief that once the forwards found their scoring touch, everything would be fine but poor finishing is only one of the problems facing Postecoglou. The solid backline built by the previous manager has been taken apart, leaving him awaiting a clean sheet. Stopping set pieces has been an issue, two of the opponent’s goals coming from them, and the other goal Forest conceded was from a counterattack, the sort that were a regular occurrence during his time at his former club.

Postecoglou was eager to return to work quickly after being sacked by his previous employers, particularly with a Europa League honor around his neck. He wanted to prove critics wrong and Forest offered that opportunity, with the extra incentive of being in the tournament he had triumphed in in the spring. The Hellenic link with Forest’s proprietor, the club’s chief, facilitated make the hiring straightforward and the manager, despite his detractors, does have the qualifications necessary – but practicality was unlikely to be involved.

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Nuno was not fired for sporting reasons but for initiating a fight with the owner that he was never going to prevail in. Finishing seventh and guiding Forest into Europe made Nuno incredibly popular. In spite of his complaints, a squad able of ending in the top half was assembled and a lot of money was invested. After far too much short-termism at Forest, they had a defined long-term vision and approach, which included a squad that suited Nuno. Now it feels as if a stepdad has entered the home and the children are displeased.

Trips to one opponent and Bournemouth frame the home game of a top team in the upcoming trio of Premier League fixtures, suggesting the situation is only going to get more difficult. Marinakis made the appointment with his heart and is urgently hoping to prevent another sacking because removing Postecoglou would be an admission that he made two terrible decisions in letting go of the former coach and choosing the replacement. The sport is one big popularity competition and Nuno began gaining his at the away ground. The current manager needs to emulate that or he faces the possibility of losing his for good.