Micah Richards has branded Nottingham Forest’s decision to sack Ange Postecoglou after just five Premier League games as “ridiculous,” saying it reflects a football culture that has lost patience and perspective.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, the former England defender admitted he was disheartened by the speed of Postecoglou’s dismissal, which came barely 20 minutes after Forest’s 3–0 home defeat to Chelsea.
The 60-year-old coach lasted only 39 days in charge, overseeing eight matches in all competitions — losing six and drawing two.
Those stalemates came against Burnley and Real Betis, while his side suffered damaging defeats to Swansea City and Midtjylland.
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Owner Evangelos Marinakis’s decision to part ways with Nuno Espirito Santo, who had guided Forest into the Europa Conference League, and replace him with a manager known for an entirely different attacking philosophy, was already viewed as a gamble.
That gamble, Richards said, has now ended in chaos.
“I think it was inevitable for the owner in terms of his standards for the club,” Richards said.
“I remember last season, he thought they were going into the Champions League. It didn’t work out.
Micah Richards has branded Nottingham Forest’s decision to sack Ange Postecoglou after just five Premier League games as “ridiculous,” saying it reflects a football culture that has lost patience and perspective
|BBC
“They got into Europe, and that wasn’t good enough. Obviously, Nuno gets sacked after that.
“But in terms of football — five games, 39 days in the Premier League, and you’re getting sacked. It’s just ridiculous to me.”
Richards said the decision typified the direction modern football is heading in, one where short-termism trumps trust in a manager’s vision.
“I don’t know where we’re going as football,” he continued.
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Ange Postecoglou failed to win a single match during his time in charge of Nottingham Forest | REUTERS“I understand the results haven’t been great, but for a manager trying to get his philosophy over — we knew with Nuno it was a defensive-style team, now we know Ange likes to go on the front foot.
“We always talk about giving managers time. For him to get five games in the Premier League — it’s unbelievable.”
Fellow pundit Alan Shearer echoed the sentiment, saying the blame must also fall on Marinakis for appointing a coach whose approach clashed so drastically with his predecessor’s.
“I do have sympathy for him,” Shearer said. “The owner has to accept his share of the blame.
“He went out and chose this manager knowing he had a completely different system to the previous one.
“Five Premier League games — you absolutely have sympathy for him.
Roberto Mancini is one name in the frame to replace Ange Postecoglou at Nottingham Forest
|PA
“But as Enzo Maresca said, you know the rules in football: if you don’t get results immediately, unfortunately you’re going to lose your job.”
Postecoglou’s reign is now the shortest of any permanent manager in Premier League history.
By comparison, Sam Allardyce’s brief stint at Leeds in 2023 lasted 30 days, though that was a temporary end-of-season appointment. Frank de Boer managed only four matches at Crystal Palace in 2017 but survived 77 days thanks to his summer arrival.
Richards’ observation that the game has grown more ruthless is supported by the numbers. Of the 10 shortest managerial reigns in Premier League history, eight have occurred in the past 12 years. The pressure for instant success has never been greater.
Postecoglou had arrived at the City Ground with an enhanced reputation after guiding Tottenham to Europa League glory, though his final campaign saw them finish 17th. His appointment was seen as high-risk but potentially high-reward. His Premier League record now stands at 13 wins from his last 50 matches, a 26 per cent success rate.
Forest are expected to move quickly in naming a successor. Roberto Mancini, Sean Dyche, Pedro Martins and Steve Cooper are among the candidates under consideration behind the scenes.