Micah Richards shares his verdict on Ange Postecoglou immediately after Nottingham Forest sack

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Micah Richards has questioned where Nottingham Forest go from here after the club sacked Ange Postecoglou.

TBR Football understands Evangelos Marinakis has dismissed Ange less than an hour after the final whistle following the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.

The Australian leaves the City Ground having failed to win any of his first eight matches in charge, the worst managerial record in the club’s history.

However, Richards has shared his feelings about the decision and has claimed Ange could have proven to be a success had he been given more time.

Nottingham Forest need a long-term plan after Ange Postecoglou

Speaking live on BBC Sport, Richards said Ange could have been the right fit for Nottingham Forest, but perhaps his appointment was a mistake by Marinakis.

“It was inevitable, but I don’t think it’s right. He was only given eight games, and a contrast of styles was always going to be a factor. Forest went from one of the best counter-attacking managers to one who wanted to be more expansive – it was never going to work straight away.

“Ange Postecoglou is a good manager, but it’s possible his media outbursts haven’t helped. It looked like he could have been the right fit, but more time was needed. The interesting thing now is – will the next manager be short term or long term? What are Forest trying to be – was last season a one-off?

“I know Tottenham finished fifth in Ange’s first season, but if you’re going off Ange’s record last season, he should never have been appointed by Forest. Maybe they needed to aim higher in terms of what they were doing and go for a manager with a style they really wanted.”

“If you do go for Ange, how can he change their style of play in such a short space of time? Now the club could be in panic mode just to stay in the league. If Sean Dyche does turn out to be who they go for, he’s always said he’d love an array of talent to work with – and he’s got that at Forest.”

As previously revealed by TBR Football, Ange’s future relied on the result against Chelsea, and Marinakis has remained true to his word in dismissing the manager after only 39 days in charge.

Now the search for a third manager in a single season begins as Steve Cooper has been touted for a return, while Fulham boss Marco Silva is also under consideration.

Forest have now dropped into the relegation zone following the loss, in a match where Elliot Anderson and Taiwo Awoniyi spurned golden chances to give their side the lead, but two quick-fire goals early into the second half for Chelsea decided Ange’s fate.

What Ange Postecogolou said ahead of his final match

In an interview with TNT Sport prior to the match at the City Ground, Postecoglou was questioned regarding his passionate defence of his managerial ability during the pre-match press conference.

“At some point, you’ve got to stand up for yourself. Yeah, I just think, you know, at different times it’s not something that I’ve done regularly. But if you believe in something and you want to stand up for yourself, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

“In fact, I preach it all the time to the people I’m associated with, to my family, to my kids. Don’t let the bullies get you. You’ve got to stand up for yourself.

“But I think more importantly, I just want to make sure that people are clear, hopefully the only message, the main message they got out of yesterday is I’m still very excited about what we’re doing here. I see a way forward where we can have success.”