Nottingham Forest

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

• Find and follow your Premier League club on BBC Sport

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Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou speaking to TNT Sports following the 3-2 defeat to Midtjylland: "Really disappointing. Just really, really poor goals we conceded in the first half.

"It allowed the opposition to get comfortable in the game.

"That's the story of our last few games. We just let ourselves down in key moments of the game. Nothing organisational just in those moments we have not shown the same desire and determination to the opposition."

On regressing: "I don't know. Progress is us winning games of football and we haven't done that.

"Football has been compelling at times, but you have got to keep winning games of football and that's what we will keep trying to do."

On the Forest fans singing 'you're getting sacked in the morning': "I heard it. They're fans, they want to see their team win, and they're entitled to their opinion.

"Nothing surprises me in football any more."

"We've just got to keep going. There is no hiding in the sport we're in. Got to keep your head up and recover. We have a tough game against Newcastle at the weekend."

Did you know?

• Since Postecoglou took charge of Nottingham Forest for the first time on 13 September, Forest have conceded the most goals of any Premier League side in all competitions (13) and have shipped seven set-piece goals – three more than any other side.

Hear more from Postecoglou on BBC Sounds

Dan Roan
Sports editor

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A decision on whether to scrap the Premier League's controversial Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and adopt an "alternative system" is "coming up", says chief executive Richard Masters.

The current regulations, introduced in 2015-16 to prevent clubs from overspending, allow losses of £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.

However, they have been criticised by several top-flight teams for limiting their ability to invest.

BBC Sport has been told a decision on any changes is likely to be made at a meeting in November.

In February, clubs chose to continue with PSR for the current season.

However a squad cost ratio (SCR) system of financial control was adopted by the Premier League on a shadowing, non-binding basis.

SCR is similar to Uefa's existing financial rules and allows clubs to spend up to a percentage of their total revenues on squad-related costs.

Nine of the league's 20 clubs already have to comply with Uefa's SCR as a result of qualifying for Europe. Both Chelsea and Aston Villa were fined by Uefa in July for breaching the rules.

Asked about SCR at the Leaders sports conference in London, Masters said: "We are talking to our clubs about an alternative system. That's not to say we don't think the PSR system works."

He added: "It's about closer alignment with European regulation, which is squad cost ratio, which is a revenue test. In Uefa, it's now set at 70%. Our system will be 85% because we always want our clubs to have the ability to invest.

"The Premier League has been built on the back of investment in which international capital flows [are] coming in. We don't want that to be to be stifled off."

Read more here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Forest's display?

Come back on Friday for a selection of your replies

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Sangaré, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Ndoye, Jesus.

Subs: John, Wood, Kalimuendo, Domínguez, Yates, McAtee, Bakwa, Boly, Savona, Abbott.

FC Midtjylland XI: Olafsson, Erlic, Diao, Bech, Mbabu, Castillo, Billing, Bak, Simsir, Brumado, Cho.

Subs: Lossl, Lee, Gabriel, Paulinho, Dani Silva, Bravo, Byskov, Franculino, Gogorza, Etim, Osorio, Andreasen

There's a busy night of action across Europe in store, with 18 games in both the Europa League and Conference League, three involving Premier League sides.

• Dynamo Kyiv v Crystal Palace (17:45)

• Feyenoord v Aston Villa (20:00)

• Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland (20:00)

Kick-off times BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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Morgan Gibbs-White says it will be an "incredible feeling" to step out on to the City Ground pitch when Nottingham Forest host their first European match in around three decades on Thursday night (20:00 BST).

The Reds are still searching for their first win under new head coach Ange Postecoglou and the England midfielder is hoping it could come against FC Midtjylland on home turf.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Gibbs-White said: "This is what we have worked for and what we feel like we deserve after last season. It will be an incredible feeling to just be under the City Ground lights, knowing that European football is back here.

"Just knowing that we have given back to the fans is something we are really proud of as a club. There is nobody in this city that deserves it more than our fans, they are the ones that have backed us through absolutely everything.

"I expect the players to be bouncing and everyone to be really looking forward to the game. It's going to be a really special night."

When asked about walking out to the Europe League music last week, he replied: "It was a special feeling. I just wish that first game was at home!

"I get little goosebumps thinking back to that moment. As a player, you can't let these moments pass by and you've got to really grab them. It's such a small career so you might never get the opportunity again."

Image source, Getty Images

Today's the day.

European football returns to the City Ground for the first time in almost 30 years as Forest host FC Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Following last week's trip to Real Betis, the Reds now welcome the Danish side for their opening home game of the competition, hoping to pick up their first win under Ange Postecoglou.

So, what are your plans for the day?

Where will you be watching from - and who with?

The build-up starts now.

Send us your plans and photos

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Nottingham Forest have been unlucky and the players deserve more for their efforts, according to boss Ange Postecoglou.

The squad have quickly bought into Postecoglou's methods despite the five-game winless start, which was extended after defeat to Sunderland on Saturday.

The Europa League visit of FC Midtjylland on Thursday - the City Ground's first European game since 1996 - represents another chance to get off the mark.

Morgan Gibbs-White has been enthused by Postecoglou's philosophy and the head coach feels they could even have a 100% record.

Postecoglou said: "We've got to be fair to players. I mean, what are they going to say? They're not going to say it's rubbish and 'I hate the manager'.

"I do genuinely think they see what we're trying to do.

"More important to me is what I see in terms of the games, in terms of the training and look I get it people look at the the end result and work their way back from that so when you're not winning they just think that obviously there's something wrong.

"Then they look for things that are wrong but you know the flip side of that is I've got to give feedback to the players, analyse the game and be honest with them.

"When I analyse the games I see they're doing so many things right and in a normal course of events we could have been sitting here and I don't think anyone would begrudge us if we'd won all those games.

"Apart from the Arsenal game I don't think anyone would have said we were lucky if we had won those games.

"There's so many positive signs and I think the players, they're not silly they see that and they understand that but I want them to get the rewards for their hard work."

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Former Nottingham Forest player David Phillips is "absolutely delighted" younger fans are getting to experience European football at Nottingham Forest.

Phillips was part of the 1995-96 Forest squad that competed in the Uefa Cup, where they were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, Phillips said it's been "too long" since fans of the club last got to experience a European competition.

He said: "I'm absolutely delighted. There was the speculation whether they'd been in Europa League or Europa Conference League. It's ended up being the right league for Nottingham Forest.

"I'm absolutely delighted the way the club has moved over the last few years, for them to get into Europe is fantastic. It's been too long and they've made a good start.

"I'm really pleased for them [the new generation of fans]. We can all reminisce about what happened 29 years ago, but there's a lot of fans now that weren't born at the time.

"It's only through history, heritage and parents that they become Forest supporters. They're now getting to experience what others experienced 29 years ago."

Listen to Shut Up And Show More Football

Nottingham Forest renew their European adventure on Thursday having not won in any competition since their opening game of the season.

However, they have had to contend with a change of head coach and the fact that five of their seven matches since were away from home, including games at Arsenal, in-form Crystal Palace and Burnley, whose Turf Moor ground has been a fortress in recent times.

In many respects, their start to the season has not been markedly worse than others they have had since returning to the top flight, and has been better than the one they made to their first season back in 2022-23.

But what is perhaps concerning is the absence of clean sheets, which they kept in a third of their matches last season.

Forest have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their eight matches in all competitions in 2025-26 and their 15 goals conceded so far is their worst since their return to the top tier.

In 2022-23, they actually kept two clean sheets but their overall goals conceded figure was skewed by a 6-0 thrashing by Manchester City.

New boss Ange Postecoglou is yet to win in five games in charge although there have been some positive signs that results might come soon.

But his attacking brand of football means Forest fans might not be confident that the defence will open their clean sheet account against Midtjylland, who are the top scorers in the Danish top flight, averaging two and a half goals per game.

• Not a Forest fan? Find and follow your club here

Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and West Ham are interested in Parma's 23-year-old Argentine striker Mateo Pellegrino, but the Italian club do not want to sell him before next summer. (TuttoSport via Parma Live - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

The latest episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast has landed!

The team preview the Europa League clash against Danish side FC Midtjylland with former player David Phillips.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White insists he had to put his family first during his transfer saga with Tottenham.

The England midfielder looked close to a move to Spurs in the summer before it collapsed in acrimonious style.

In July BBC Sport reported Gibbs-White was set to have a medical as Spurs looked to trigger his £60m release clause.

But Forest were furious at Tottenham's conduct and at the time they insisted they had not given Spurs permission to speak to Gibbs-White and were willing to go to whatever lengths required to prevent the transfer taking place.

Gibbs-White and partner Britney also welcomed their second child in the summer and the ex-Wolves midfielder needed to prioritise them.

"I feel like a lot of people just think that footballers are almost robots," said the 25-year-old, who eventually signed a new deal at Forest.

"We train and play football but everybody has a personal life. Everybody has things going on in their personal life. You might have something going on now, but you're still showing up to work and do your work.

"That's exactly what I have to do. It's all about trying to deal with what's at home as well as trying to apply yourself every day to be the best that you possibly can.

"It was just a really stressful time, for me personally, for my family.

"In reality, your family is everything, and you have to put them first. And that's a decision I made, I had to put them first, and focus on what was right at the moment, and that was being with my wife and my new-born son."

Gibbs-White is expected to return for Forest's Europa League game with Midtjylland on Thursday, their first European game at the City Ground since 1996, after starting on the bench in Saturday's defeat to Sunderland.

He added: "After everything what we've been through together and knowing we were back in Europe, I really wanted to continue that journey.

"The fans are going to be incredible. That was a big reason as to why I wanted to stay."

Listen to Gibbs-White on BBC Sounds

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game against FC Midtjylland at the City Ground (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Oleksandr Zinchenko will not be available due to soreness in his groin. It is "nothing significant" but he probably won't be back in contention until after the international break.

• Murillo is available after training over the last few days. The defender completed his "first solid block of training" since picking up his injury, so will be ready for selection.

• He anticipates a "cracking atmosphere" at the City Ground, as the club hosts its first European match in nearly three decades. Postecoglou added: "European nights always seem to be a little bit more special. The fans will get themselves up for it because it is something different and unique."

• It is a "privilege" for him to lead the team out in Europe, but he highlighted that Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo were the key figures that helped the club reclaim its European status. He added: "I'm just the beneficiary of that and I don't take that lightly."

• The club will be treating the Europa League as a "separate entity" to the Premier League this season. He explained: "It challenges you in different ways and you meet opponents you don't know very well. If you're dismissive of that then you fall into a trap."

• On FC Midtjylland, he said: "I know a fair bit about them and I have experience playing against them from Celtic. They have a very clear identity of football. They are very reliant on being physical, on their set pieces and on being really direct. You know what you're getting when you play them."

• The Danish club enjoy "playing vertical football, getting from one end of the pitch to the other very quickly, and testing their opponents with their size".

• It is "only natural" that people are eagerly awaiting his first win as manager. He explained: "When you've been on a run like ours, things like this become a little more prevalent in people's minds. But we've got to trust in the process and the results will come."

• When asked about rotating his side a fair bit since coming in, he replied: "It has maybe disrupted our fluency a little bit, but it means we have a decent base for all our players through this next block of games. We are going to need that because this block will be very demanding, we'll be playing every three or four days."

• The players recognise everything is moving in a "positive direction" but Postecoglou wants them to "get the rewards for their hard work" sooner rather than later, in the hope that it will also ignite some momentum.

Follow all of Wednesday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to Postecoglou on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou is under no illusions as he seeks his first win as Nottingham Forest boss.

Being winless in five games is not ideal but the situation is far from the point where the former Tottenham manager should be under any serious pressure as he himself adjusts to a new environment and new players.

Aside from the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal there have been positive signs that his philosophy could bring fast results once it clicks.

Last week's Europa League draw at Real Betis should be viewed as positive, despite the hosts' late equaliser, and the visit of FC Midtjylland on Thursday represents another chance to get off the mark, with Postecoglou facing the media on Wednesday.

It is Forest's first European game at the City Ground since the Uefa Cup quarter final second leg defeat to Bayern Munich, where the eventual winners won 5-1.

There will be a sense of occasion - and victory would help erase the frustration following Saturday's Premier League defeat by Sunderland.

The expectation on Forest this season has naturally grown after last season's seventh-place finish and £180m summer spend.

So it is understandable why there may be anxiety among supporters, especially after failing to beat the Black Cats.

It has not fallen into place for Postecoglou yet, but Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs made six saves as Forest tried to recover and Chris Wood missed a golden opportunity to level in the second half - the type he would have taken last season.

Green shoots are there but Postecoglou has already conceded winning is the most important thing.

Ellie Molloson
Fan writer

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When we signed Ange Postecoglou, we were promised a winner - an experienced manager who has won trophies repeatedly, ended Tottenham's 17-year trophy drought by earning their first European title in 41 years.

Given Forest's sudden re-entrance into European football, on paper Ange sounds like a perfect fit. But to quote Brian Clough: "Unfortunately, the game [is] played on grass."

Postecoglou remains winless after five games and has only managed one point in the Premier League and one in the Europa League. To make matters worse, Forest were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Championship side Swansea City and most recently lost at home to newly promoted side Sunderland. Many of us are beginning to ask how can this be?

There are three potential factors at play: Injuries, contrasting play style, and individual error.

Last season, Forest were lucky and faced little to no injuries. However, since the new manager was appointed three weeks ago, two of our back four, Ola Aina and Murillo, are both out injured. While we can see the significant impact this has had to our defensive stability, this alone cannot justify the results.

Secondly, key players such as Chris Wood are facing an individual slump in performance. After Brentford, Wood had a 100% conversion rate, but in the past three games, he did not convert any of his chances.

Finally, a new playing style is being implemented without any pre-season for players to adapt. Ange plays an attractive style of possession-based football, deploying a high line and inverted full-backs to overwhelm the opposition's midfield.

This is a stark contrast to Nuno's strong defensive approach, which prioritised efficiency over possession by using quick counter-attacks to score.

Will time be enough for players to adapt? Or does he need to move away from his signature style?

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