Polarising Ange Postecoglou will only succeed at Nottingham Forest if he shows he has learned from Tottenham failings

One of the most glaringly obvious issues with this appointment is that Postecoglou is a tactical misfit for a club whose success under Nuno in 2024-25 was built upon defensive solidity, a willingness to bide their time and control games without the ball, and relying on swift transitions and deadly counter-attacking.

Meanwhile, 'Ange-ball' - as it came to be known at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - is a possession-based system that is dependent on hassling opponents with high pressing, inverted full-backs creating overloads in midfield and the defence holding a very high line, with an uncompromising emphasis on all-out attack.

The Australian was often called out for being far too gung-ho and increasingly self-destructive in his approach during his time at Spurs, with his side found out on multiple occasions from the midway point of 2023-24 after a strong start where they seemed to have caught many of their rivals cold.

That gradual deterioration culminated in a humiliating 17th-placed finish in the league last season courtesy of some incredibly haphazard defensive displays, as Tottenham set the ignominious record for the most defeats without being relegated in a 38-game Premier League campaign (22). Notably, there were two losses to Forest among them, as the Midlands club secured one-goal victories home and away.

Something, then, has got to give as Postecoglou takes the reins at the City Ground. You could argue that he will have the players at his disposal to implement his ideas once again, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Elliot Anderson and more probably well suited to his system, but Nuno has already drawn up a blueprint that really works - his successor will be taking a huge risk if he decides to rip it up and start again.

A crippling injury crisis provided the backdrop to Tottenham's nightmarish 2024-25 league season, and Postecoglou regularly attributed blame to their lengthy list of absentees as his side struggled to compete domestically. However, many of the coach's detractors pointed to his demanding methods as the root cause of the raft of muscular issues, and there will be concerns of a repeat on the banks of the Trent.

As reported by The Athletic in January in the depths of the crisis, when Spurs had no fewer than 11 names unavailable, there was "no time for respite" in the 60-year-old's high-intensity training sessions, with the same vigour expected on the training ground as it is on the pitch on matchday with the aim of overpowering and outrunning the opposition. Indeed, injuries are supposedly even deemed par for the course as players adapt to the Australian's modus operandi.

Notably, the north Londoners' head of medicine and sport science, Geoff Scott, left his role at the end of 2023-24 after a 20-year association with the club, purportedly after a fallout with Postecoglou over his handling of the first team's workload and the recovery of those who are injured. Key stars were often rushed back or even played through the pain barrier throughout his tenure.

Nuno had already questioned Forest's readiness and depth on the eve of the new season as they prepared to fight on four fronts rather than three, after qualifying for Europe for the first time in 30 years and being promoted to the Europa League at Crystal Palace's expense, insisting his squad was "very, very far from where we should be". Although further additions have since been made, the lack of quality alternatives was a big problem at Tottenham, and the incoming boss can't afford to run his best players into the ground again.

The new head coach could well find himself at the centre of a hostile situation at the City Ground, where a new manager wasn't needed and his predecessor was hugely popular having guided the club back into Europe for the first time in three decades. For many, Postecoglou wouldn't have been the first or even second choice to replace Nuno, either.

When it became clear that the Portuguese's position had become untenable amid the souring of his relationship with owner Marinakis and global head of football Edu, the likes of Mourinho, Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Mauricio Pochettino were linked with the role - all of whom would arguably be more appealing to the Garibaldi faithful, albeit the latter four are currently in work and therefore would be difficult extract.

"Postecoglou is about as far removed from the Steve Cooper and Nuno school of football as it is possible to get," GOAL writer and Forest fan Chris Burton says. "Jose Mourinho, for all of the obvious questions that he poses, would have been a better fit for a counter-attacking model that leans heavily on defensive stability. If Postecoglou goes full Ruben Amorim-mode and refuses to change his ways, then he will find out that the tide can turn quickly on Trentside."

It would be difficult to dispel the buoyant mood around the club after an exceptional 2024-25 campaign, but Postecoglou will still have some work to do to get the fans fully onside. Despite his ultimate downfall, that was something he succeeded in doing in north London amid initial scepticism over his appointment, as the ex-Celtic boss fostered an us-against-them mentality.

It's pretty clear that Postecoglou has been hired by virtue of his unlikely Europa League triumph last season, as he dragged his beleaguered Tottenham side to a predictably ugly victory over fellow Premier League strugglers Manchester United in Bilbao in May to end an agonising 17-year trophy drought, a success that belied Spurs' embarrassing league position.

In that moment, the Australian had rather bewilderingly maintained his status as a manager who has more or less guaranteed silverware throughout his storied career, even managing to stay true to his word after bullishly claiming that "I always wins things in my second year" in a now-famous post-match interview eight months prior. However, it wasn't enough to save his job.

As Forest prepare to embark on their own Europa League journey following their promotion from the Conference League, it's feasible that Marinakis believes a repeat is possible as he looks to follow Spurs through the backdoor into the promised land of the Champions League. He will believe they have the squad to compete in Europe.

The Forest owner actually presented Postecoglou with an award at a Greek Super League event in July for his achievement, saying at the time (as quoted by Neos Cosmos): "What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles, it has had a very difficult time in recent years. Wherever he goes, the successes will come."

Indeed, Forest's statement confirming Postecoglou's arrival conveniently (and predictably) glosses over the domestic failure of 2024-25, reflecting that the club is more than prepared to focus on his trophy-winning credentials rather than the potential downsides of what is an unequivocally risky appointment.

"Postecoglou has been in management for over 25 years, arriving on Trentside with experience of regularly competing and winning trophies at the highest level," it read. "After enjoying very successful seasons with Brisbane Roar and Yokohama F. Marinos, winning the league with both clubs, he was appointed manager of Celtic in June 2021. A successful tenure in Glasgow saw Postecoglou win the domestic double in his first season in Scotland and the treble in his second year, which earned him a nomination for the FIFA World Coach of the Year in 2023.

"Moving to England to take over at Tottenham Hotspur, who finished fifth in his first season, Postecoglou guided Spurs to their first major trophy in 17 years, winning the Europa League in 2024-25 and qualifying for the Champions League."

Marinakis also doubled down on his admiration of the Australian, saying: "We are bringing a coach to the club who has a proven and consistent record of winning trophies. His experience of coaching teams at the highest level, along with his desire to build something special with us at Forest, makes him a fantastic person to help us on our journey and achieve consistently all our ambitions.

"After gaining promotion to the Premier League, then building consistently season after season to secure European football, we now must take the right step to compete with the very best and challenge for trophies. Ange has the credentials and the track-record to do this, and we are excited he is joining us on our ambitious journey."

Marinakis remains a popular figure at the City Ground after bankrolling this era of modern success, and the ruthless move to oust Nuno is unlikely to lose him many supporters as the whole institution pulls in the same direction, but things can change very quickly and Forest have a tempestuous recent past.

Despite the hierarchy's attempt to erase it, that 17th-placed finish with Tottenham is undoubtedly very fresh in everyone's memories, and Postecoglou's drawn-out demise in north London will ring alarm bells for those associated with a club that only narrowly avoided relegation in two of the last three seasons before the remarkable turnaround under Nuno.

There will be question marks over the potential volatility of the relationship between head coach and owner, too, with Nuno publicly clashing with Marinakis and ultimately falling foul of the man who seems to hold an autocratic grip over the club despite his own largely mild-mannered nature; Postecoglou has shown himself to be a far more fiery character.

It will probably all come down to making a fast start and ensuring Forest aren't in a relegation scrap while fighting on three other fronts. If the newcomer is unable to hit the ground running, doesn't change his ways and sticks to his prickly, no-nonsense persona in the media, things could swiftly become toxic for both him and the man who decided to hire him and axe his predecessor.