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IT CAN’T BE HIM! BUT IT IS!

Without a doubt the most disliked Australian to arrive in this part of England since a notorious innkeeper from a famous TV drama starred in a Mansfield panto 20 years back, the Greek-Australian’s tenure at the Nottingham stadium could begun in the worst possible way. Although the boos and catcalls that actor the soap veteran was subjected to during a seasonal stage show were largely good-natured, the toxicity of the abuse hurled at Postecoglou during the club’s European setback by Midtjylland on Thursday was so severe that it is tough to see the manager who has been in charge for only half a dozen games will still be around to hear the seasonal boos this December. On more than one occasion the 60-year-old’s shouts of “There’s someone there!” went disregarded by his hapless players, especially when the visiting team scored their initial strikes from poorly handled dead-ball situations. Nowhere near the joyous atmosphere they’d hoped for, the team’s first European home game in almost 30 seasons ended in bitterness with the crowd telling the boss he’d be “dismissed soon”, before serenading his popular, just-removed former boss, the Portuguese tactician.

“I understand the atmosphere won’t be positive, I grasp the public’s opinion, chiefly directed at me, but I don’t fret over it, I’ve been here before,” Postecoglou growled in response, while subjecting the floor around his feet to the usual death-stare. “I’m never shocked in this sport, it’s the climate we’re in. That appears to be the trend. It’s nothing I can control. The fans are disappointed, they are allowed to have an opinion on it. I listened to what they said.” Even if those Forest fans are allowed to complain, it could be argued that they might be wiser selecting a more fitting focus for their anger. After all, it was Evangelos Marinakis who fired a beloved manager to bring in Postecoglou, who was always going to face a tough task from day one. Observing from the executive seats as he went through a range of sullen, fierce looks last witnessed during that time he found out the North London club had triggered the player’s buyout option, the shipping magnate has up to now dodged any kind of serious criticism from fans, a good number of whom remain certain the he can do no wrong.

When Friday lunchtime arrived, rumours of the coach’s imminent dismissal proved to be unfounded and reports suggest his job remains safe until such time as … in reality, it changes. Although the club boss can offer a partial defense that he has had little or no time on the training pitch to introduce the approach and gameplan subtleties that caused the London club dropping a majority of their Premier League fixtures last season, his side’s schedule remains tough and continuous. Up against Newcastle, the London club, Porto and the Cherries coming soon it is tough to imagine from where a maiden victory for the manager will come before what could surely be the ultimate sack-race clash against the Red Devils.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I steer clear of heated debates, who points fingers, truthfully, I’ll keep it anonymous. Yet I think there was a bit of a lack of respect there, even a bit of rudeness too, and not a single hello or hi” – the United player slams the Red Devils over the unfriendly setting at the Theatre of Dreams, where warmth has apparently declined like the side’s performance.

FAN MAILBAG

Is there truth the coach has promised followers he never loses a game in his next campaign?” – a reader.

Far be it for me to wish to reinforce the trope that Gunners fans are the game’s biggest moaners, but a correspondent (the previous day’s mailbag) does make you ponder. Highlighting that rather than a couple of matches weekly, the Gunners are having to play more than two fixtures each week (ooh an extra 30 minutes!) over a particular 21-day span (for a squad with two good options for every position to as well) is not the argument-settler he might think. On the contrary it’s just going to have the smallest fiddle players tuning up their instruments once more, while the other fans look on with exasperation” – a different supporter.

I’m unsure whether your current contributors (on multiple matches weekly) are deliberately, mockingly repeating one of the classic instances of internet discourse (safe for work), or accidentally confirming the famous quote about history repeating first as tragedy, then as farce” – a fan.

To comfort you, Bob Cushion (the prior comments), I’ve long felt that way [hoping wealthy English teams to lose in Europe]. From the time Forest stopped competing in Europe, Uefa football for me has caused a state of seething impotent rage, punctuated only occasionally by the Eastern European team and, at a push, the Spanish club. I couldn’t care less for the Merseyside club’s successes from the 1980s right up to the 2005 final. I am unmoved by {‘that