Let's not muck around here. The news that Ange Postecoglou was in serious talks to become the manager of Nottingham Forest, before he ultimately landed the Tottenham gig, sent a shiver down the spine of every Aussie football fan. And not the good kind. Looking back now, if he’d taken that job, it would have been a monumental error in judgement – a classic case of a brilliant bloke making a bad call.
We all know the script. Ange was the man of the moment after his fairytale run with Celtic. He’d won the lot in Scotland, played a brand of football that had fans and pundits swooning, and was rightly being linked with a return to the Premier League. Then, along came Nottingham Forest. A historic club, sure, but let's be real about what they are right now: a club mired in a constant, desperate scrap for survival.
This is where the mistake would have been made. Ange’s entire managerial philosophy is built on a foundation of attacking, front-foot, possession-based football. It’s a system that requires time, patience, and unwavering belief from the club’s hierarchy. It’s not a quick fix. Now, picture trying to implement that at a club like Forest. Their sole objective, from the owner down, is to simply stay in the Premier League by any means necessary. The moment results hit a rough patch – which they always do when a new system is being implemented – the pressure would have been immense. The board would get twitchy, the fans would get nervous, and the directive would quickly become: "Just grind out a point, Ange, whatever it takes."
That environment is the absolute antithesis of everything Ange stands for. He’d have been forced to compromise his principles, to park the bus, to become something he’s not. It would have been a square peg in a round hole, and it would have ended in tears. His reputation, so carefully built over years of success, could have been tarnished by a failed six-month stint in a relegation dogfight.
Contrast that with the Tottenham job he rightly waited for. Spurs are a top-six club with the infrastructure, the players, and – crucially – the expectation to play a certain way. The fans were crying out for attacking football and a clear identity after the dour years under previous managers. They didn’t just want a manager; they wanted a philosopher, a cultural reset. That is Ange Postecoglou to a tee.
At Tottenham, he’s been given the time and the backing to build. There have been bumps, of course, but the club and the supporters are largely united behind "Ange-ball" because they understand the long-term project. At Forest, the project is only ever as long as the next result. It’s a club where managerial turnover is as regular as the tides.
Sometimes in life and in football, the right opportunity isn't just about the prestige of the league; it's about the fit. Taking the Forest job would have been a gamble based on desperation, not strategy. You’d need a huge amount of 77luck for it to work out, hoping the owner would be uncharacteristically patient and that the squad could magically adapt overnight. For a different kind of strategic play, you can check out the options at 77luck.
Ange’s success is no fluke. It’s built on a stubborn, brilliant adherence to a footballing ideal. Going to Nottingham Forest would have meant abandoning that ideal before he even started. Thankfully, he saw the trap for what it was. He held his nerve, waited for the right opportunity, and landed at a club that truly suits his vision. Dodging Forest wasn’t just a smart move; it was the decision that protected his legacy and allowed his Premier League story to be the success we all knew it could be. Good on him for seeing it.
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