Defiant Postecoglou says 'give me time' at Forest

Under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou delivered a passionate defence of his legacy as he vowed to win silverware at Nottingham Forest if given time.

The 60-year-old is under pressure after failing to win any of his opening seven games since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo last month.

Forest have been assessing their options during the international break, with ex-Burnley boss Sean Dyche among the names considered as a potential replacement despite Postecoglou having been in charge for just 38 days.

They host Chelsea on Saturday and Postecoglou gave a five-minute monologue at his pre-match news conference, with Forest 17th in the Premier League.

"Some look at the weeds but I look at what is growing. I am really excited as I have a group of young players willing to change," he said, while also confirming he did not speak to owner Evangelos Marinakis during the international break.

"I am not wasting my time on what people think.

"I just don't fit, not here, just in general. If you look at it through the prism of 'I'm a failed manager who's lucky to get this job' then of course this first five weeks looks like 'this guy's under pressure'. There is an alternative story that you could look at it.

"I took over Tottenham and was told by the chairman at the time 'this club has to win a trophy'.

"He said 'we've tried to bring winners in, Jose [Mourinho] and Antonio [Conte] and it hasn't worked, we need something different'. I was slightly offended by that because I see myself as a winner.

"We finished fifth my first year. Every time Harry Kane scored a goal I'd wish he'd just stayed one more year because it would have been handy to have him after finishing fifth.

"But somehow that year has disappeared from the record books. In fact, it was used as a reason for me losing my job because even Tottenham decided to exclude the first 10 games - because they were an anomaly, apparently. Although the first 10 games here are very important, apparently."

'The story always ends the same'

Ange Postecoglou has not won any of his seven games since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in September

Postecoglou won the Europa League in May - Tottenham's first trophy for 17 years and their first European silverware for 41 - and he outlined why he felt the perception of him was wrong.

The ex-Celtic boss also promised, if given time, he would continue his record of winning trophies everywhere he has managed.

He continued: "I was in meetings and people who are still at that club were in those meetings, where I was told winning a trophy is everything for this football club. That's fine.

"We win a trophy. We shed the tag of being 'Spursy' [promising but always failing to deliver in the end] but all I've heard since I've finished at Tottenham is that we finished 17th last year.

"So if you look at it from that prism of we finished 17th, then, yeah, I'm a failed manager who's lucky to get another opportunity.

"But again, if I have to explain why we finished 17th, it doesn't have to be too in-depth. Just look at the last five or six team-sheets in the league last year and see what I prioritised - who was on the bench and who was playing.

"Before the last game, against Brighton, the players were out partying for two days, which I sanctioned because I felt they deserved to.

"So yes, we finished 17th. If people think that's a reflection of me and my coaching, then, again, I think they're looking at it through the prism of 'I just don't fit'.

"So, we get to the current space where there's a different story to tell, that maybe I'm not a failed manager who was lucky to get this job, but maybe I'm a manager that if you give them time, the story always ends the same.

"At all my previous clubs, it ends the same - with me and a trophy."