Nottinghamshire

Newcastle are seeking back-to-back wins for the first time this term and face a Nottingham Forest side seemingly stuck in reverse. BBC Sport explores some key themes before Sunday's clash on Tyneside.

When Ange Postecoglou took the reins at Nottingham Forest a little over three weeks ago there were obvious questions about the logic of his appointment.

A coach wedded to high-pressing, possession-based principles was now in charge of a group drilled to sit in low blocks and counter attack under the more pragmatic Nuno Espirito Santo.

Winning over the fans was always going to take time given the popularity of his predecessor, as was the enormous shift of tactical styles. But not many would have foreseen such a poor start.

Postecoglou is the first permanent Forest manager in 100 years to go without a win in his opening six matches, with his fourth defeat coming at home to Danish side FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.

The first European fixture at the City Ground for 29 years promised to be a joyous occasion, but after the 3-2 loss Postecoglou was subjected to chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning" by the home support.

"The fans are disappointed. I heard their opinion," said Postecoglou. "I would prefer if people were optimistic in their outlook of what I'm doing. I can only change that by winning games of football."

Newcastle away is the next test for Postecoglou and his personal record at St. James' Park is two defeats from two previous visits with Spurs, including a 4-0 thrashing in April 2024. Forest's record is even worse – they've lost eight of their last nine visits to Tyneside, conceding 24 goals across in that time.

Are Newcastle clicking into gear?

Newcastle are heading into this weekend as the Premier League's joint-lowest scorers with just four goals so far. Six points from six games also represents their worst start to a season under head coach Eddie Howe.

But there is reason to believe that his side have started to click, especially if their midweek performance is anything to go by.

The Magpies recorded their biggest ever Champions League win with a 4-0 victory over Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday. It was also their first away triumph in the competition for 22 years.

"Hopefully it helps us when we return to the Premier League because we've been waiting for a performance like that," said Howe after the match. "It wasn't perfect – there are things we can improve – but it was a big step in the right direction."

Anthony Gordon's brace of penalties underpinned the victory and he became the fifth player to score twice for Newcastle in a Champions League away game, following in the footsteps of three well-known forwards and a left-back.

There was also another goal for club record signing Nick Woltemade, although there were doubts about who got the final touch on Sandro Tonali's deflected effort.

The German striker has scored in his first two home Premier League appearances for Newcastle and could join an illustrious club this weekend if he can find the net again, with Les Ferdinand in 1995 and Shearer in 1996 the only players to score in their opening three at St James' Park.

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This season should have been one of Nottingham Forest's best in modern history.

Qualification for Europe for the first time in 30 years, the best squad this century and everyone at the club pulling in the same direction.

Somehow, at least for now, that has all gone out of the window. Nuno Espirito Santo has departed, performances have been abject and last night the City Ground turned on new manager Ange Postecoglou after just six games.

Six games without a win make it the worst start for a new manager in 100 years. And yet it's very much classic Forest, a club that veers from success to self-made disaster like a learner driver who can't stay in lane.

For whatever reason, the much-heralded arrival of Edu seems to have destabilised the club. The global head of football only officially arrived in July but allegedly fell out with Nuno and, despite a successful transfer window, things have taken a turn for the worse ever since.

It might all be entirely coincidental but the lack of continuity at Forest has thrown the club into crisis. It's a perfect storm of events that mean nine games into the season, the Reds have only won one match.

That first game against Brentford - a 3-1 win - saw Nuno's team dominate possession and shots on goal. That is something Ange has also done but without the wins.

Since his appointment, the 13 goals conceded is more than any other Premier League side in all competitions.

Little wonder that some fans have already turned on him. Is it entirely of his making? Of course not. Do the players bear some responsibility? Naturally. Can he turn it around before it becomes even more toxic? With games against Newcastle, Chelsea, Porto, Bournemouth and Manchester United coming up, it's very hard to say.

But ask any fan and they'll tell you the same, it's never dull at Nottingham Forest.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle at St James' Park (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He said Thursday's Europa League defeat by Midtjylland "is still pretty raw and fresh, but it's the reality of football".

• They "have reviewed the game this morning and given feedback to the players." He denied they got a "rollicking", but said "you have to be honest" with them.

• On what is going wrong: "We're not dealing with key moments in games very well. We're creating opportunities but not being ruthless enough. It's a combination of things we need to fix."

• In response to whether he fears for the safety of his job: "I get it. It's a valid assumption in modern football as there's always a manager under pressure. It's part and parcel of the game. I don't think that way. It doesn't enter my head."

• More on the pressure: "My responsibility is making sure the team progresses and if I start putting timelines to that, or wondering what is going to happen next week, then I am not performing the role I was given."

• He said he "would be very surprised if anyone thought it would be an overnight" fix and "results to one side, there's plenty of evidence we have changed the fundamentals around how we do stuff".

• On facing Newcastle: "It's a tough game. If we can go there and get a result then it would certainly lift everybody and get the belief we can turn our current situation around. It's always a cracking atmosphere. It's an exciting fixture too, so I am looking forward to it."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Newcastle v Nottingham Forest on BBC Radio 5 Live at 14:00 on Sunday

You can also listen to live commentary of the game on BBC Radio Nottingham and you can hear more from Postecoglou on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest's 3-2 defeat by Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.

Here are some of your comments:

Steve: Forest looked and played like a team without leadership - and without Elliot Anderson, Ibrahim Sangare, Neco Williams, the result would have been much worse. Too many players are unsure what their roles are and as for the "snappy" football, I'm still waiting for it to happen. The revolving door is in motion - I wonder who the next unfortunate will be?

John: I thought we fielded the best available side, we did not make wholesale substitutions - but we still lost. Elimination from Europe and fighting Premier League relegation is becoming so real.

Mark: Ange Postecoglou needs to go as soon as possible. He has imposed his completely different "system" on the players and it is not working. I was shocked to see him standing on the touchline, hands in pockets, rarely interacting with the players on the pitch. And only one second-half substitution on 75 minutes! Too little, too late. The sad fact is that he is not a fit for this team, and he needs to go before a dismal start becomes a catastrophic, relegation-threatening season.

David: Why is this defeat a surprise? Dr Death has taken over - never his fault get used to it.

Andrew: We benefited so much last season from a consistent formation and approach, plus we were able to field a consistent line-up. There is no doubt that we have a stronger squad this season, but the solid consistency in everything we do has complete disappeared. We don't seem to know what our best XI is, how we want to play and our owner creates instability from the top with his ruthless approach. This was set to be an amazing season, but we will struggle now and another managerial change could even make that worse.

John: Last season, the defence was solid, players knew the system and even though our tactics were predictable, most teams couldn't stop us. This season it feels like everything is falling apart. The players look committed and there's no lack of effort, but there appears to be no structure and no direction in the tactics. The only philosophy that counts in football is win your games and we're not. Change sooner rather than later please.

Neil: I'm usually in favour of giving the new manager a chance but this feels different. The players don't seem to know what their role is and I can't see how we will improve, particularly in defence. The majority of fans knew Postecoglou was never the right man for the job but our ownership don't listen to us. Unfortunately, our ownership won't change so it has to be the manager, I'm afraid.

Martin: I really want Ange to succeed but if he can't get the players to put into practice his methods, his time will quickly run out. It is painful to watch at the moment, but it could all turn on the first good result. My hope is that it could happen at Newcastle on Sunday. Sadly, though, that's probably foolish optimism. We shall see.

Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for the upcoming international break.

The Three Lions face Wales in a friendly on 9 October, before a World Cup qualifier against Latvia on 14 October.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer is absent after suffering an injury, while there is no place for Manchester City's Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from City.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou has been in charge at Nottingham Forest for just 24 days but fans have already snapped.

Hands on his head, Postecoglou struck a lone figure on the side of the City Ground touchline after Valdemar Byskov's late goal put Midtjylland 3-1 up.

"Sacked in the morning" came the chant from the home supporters, while a few waited at the end to boo Postecoglou when he walked down the tunnel.

Just 24 hours earlier, it had still been positive - with Morgan Gibbs-White asserting Forest would be "unstoppable" when it clicked. Sunday's trip to Newcastle is now vital, with Postecoglou facing the media again on Friday.

But the 3-2 Europa League defeat left Postecoglou winless in his opening six games - the first time in 100 years that has happened at Forest.

He knew it was not "love at first sight" with Forest fans and promised to win them over, but that relationship already looks broken after less than a month.

Once fans turn it is hard to win them back, despite Postecoglou's insistence his side are on the right track, and when supporters are turning round to openly question owner Evangelos Marinakis in the stand the situation appears bleak.

Alex McLeish lasted 40 days as Forest boss before leaving in February 2013 during the chaotic early days under the Al-Hasawi family.

That came after transfer disagreements and one win in seven games. Given the current feeling on the terraces, Postecoglou may not even last as long.

Come back to this page later on Friday for all the key lines from Postecoglou.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It was supposed to be a glorious return to Europe at the City Ground which started with such hope and excitement.

It ended with Nottingham Forest fans chanting against their new manager, who was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in June, and singing in praise of his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo.

The question before Valdemar Byskov rolled in Midtjylland's late third was one Forest had not expected to be facing so soon - when does a problem become a crisis?

It was swiftly answered as the home fans turned on Ange Postecoglou and called for his dismissal.

Club owner Evangelos Marinakis, whose relationship breakdown with Nuno led to the change of coach, would not have expected calls for such drastic action so early in Australian Postecoglou's reign.

Postecoglou was only appointed on 9 September and has had limited time on the training ground with his new side.

There have been brief glimpses of the quick, snappy football Postecoglou wants from his team, but during Thursday's Europa League defeat there was little for the simmering City Ground faithful to hold on to.

A trip to Newcastle awaits on Sunday in the Premier League before the sanctuary of the international break.

Given this evidence, Postecoglou must quickly find a way to recover from his wretched start or Forest fans may soon be seeing another new face in the dugout.

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