Henry Winter has delivered his Ange Postecoglou verdict and the journalist was hesitant in his answer.
Ange Postecoglou is still waiting for his first win as Forest head coach after one draw and two losses.
While a draw at Turf Moor was not ideal, the Australian has taken some positives away, including one player’s performance.
However, if Ange Postecoglou wants to succeed and build on those positives, he will need to solve a problem that started with Nuno Espirito Santo.
Despite just being in charge for three games, Henry Winter has said whether he feels the 60-year-old will do well at Forest.
Henry Winter not convinced Ange Postecoglou can do better than Nuno Espirito Santo
Henry Winter was speaking on TalkSPORT about Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw vs Burnley and was asked if he believes the Tricky Trees faithful will take to Ange Postecoglou.
Winter said [18:24], “I think some of them were very disappointed to see Nuno go; I think they did decline at the end of last season. I think if he did get them into the Champions League, it would have been very difficult to get rid of him.
“Ange now has to go and improve on the amazing work that Nuno did and good luck to him but I am not completely convinced.”
It has no doubt been a tough start for Ange Postecoglou, who has yet to play a game at the City Ground, but Winter’s opinion may have been shaped too early.
The journalist is not the only person to hold this view, as Jermaine Pennant has delivered a brutal claim about Evangelos Marinakis.
Historical context suggests that the opening three matches for a manager do not tell the whole story of a season.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s first three games vs Ange Postecoglou’s at Nottingham Forest
There is a big contrast between Nuno Espirito Santo’s and Ange Postecoglou’s starts to life at Nottingham Forest.
Postecoglou is yet to pick up a win in his first three games. Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo had won two of his first three matches.
However, in the Australian’s defence, there is quite a lot of context.
While Nuno came in and got results instantly, the Portuguese had come into a side that was used to a style closer in profile to his philosophy than Ange Postecoglou has come into.
The Tricky Trees were already sitting deep and trying to score on the counter, often having less than 40% possession under Steve Cooper.
Additionally, after those impressive first three matches, Nuno only won two of his next 13 fixtures but did later survive relegation with the club.
Obviously, Ange Postecoglou has inherited a squad much higher in quality, and expectations are at their highest in years at the City Ground but the Nuno example shows that you cannot take the first few games as a sign of things to come.
It took time for Nuno to start bringing in consistent results, and that was with a squad that did not have the quality needed to compete in Europe.
For Ange Postecoglou, he needs a balanced timeline. One hand he needs time, but on the other, he cannot be afforded much, or else he will fall below those expectations set.
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