Forest Boss Defiant Amid Sack Chants After Europa League Defeat

Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou has responded to hostile chants from supporters following Thursday's 3-2 Europa League defeat to Danish side FC Midtjylland, maintaining his team is progressing despite mounting pressure.

Fan Backlash at City Ground

Forest supporters directed "sacked in the morning" taunts at the Australian coach after the home loss, which saw Midtjylland score twice from set-pieces before sealing victory with a late counter-attack goal. The result extends Postecoglou's winless streak to six matches since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo - making him Forest's first permanent manager in a century to start without victory in his opening half-dozen games.

Postecoglou's Steadfast Response

"Fans are disappointed, they're entitled to their opinion," Postecoglou stated post-match. "Nothing surprises me in football's current climate, but my responsibility is getting wins for this club. I understand the negative atmosphere, but I've been here before."

The manager emphasized his belief in the project: "We're on the right track. When we overcome this period of uncertainty, we'll be on a good path. If we start winning, the atmosphere will change."

Recurring Defensive Woes

Forest's defensive fragility continued as they conceded their 13th goal in six matches under Postecoglou, with set-piece vulnerabilities proving particularly costly. "We're letting ourselves down in key moments," he analyzed. "We dominated the second half but shouldn't have been chasing the game. Until we fix these decisive moments, winning football matches becomes extraordinarily difficult."

Notably, the club's last clean sheet dates back to April's victory over Manchester United.

Mounting Pressure

Sky Sports correspondent Adam Bate reported a palpable shift in atmosphere at City Ground: "What began with nostalgic pyrotechnics ended in acrimony. Postecoglou needed an encouraging start to win over doubters after replacing a popular predecessor, but six winless games have intensified scrutiny."

Bate noted concerns that Forest have "lost what made them effective without adding discernible improvements," describing performances as "too passive and uncertain in both boxes."

Daunting Fixture List

The immediate outlook offers little respite for Forest, with their next eight fixtures including Premier League clashes against Newcastle (live on Sky Sports this Sunday), Chelsea, Manchester United, and Bournemouth, plus Europa League encounters with Porto and Sturm Graz.