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Replacing a team icon was always going to be a tough assignment, but the previous manager succeeded to pull off a smart strategy after the former coach’s exit: winning his first two fixtures. Much is forgotten about the first six months of Nuno’s tenure, when the squad stayed up just one position above the relegation zone and endured a stretch of taking victory in only one time in 10 Premier League matches.

Nuno had done the vital task of boosting team spirit and winning over the supporters by beating Newcastle away and creating enthusiasm by beating a major rival at their own ground, and no one was calling for style points. The home stadium was buzzing in the end of 2023, and local supporters did not mind that they saw only two more wins there for the remainder of the season.

The club supporters demand the manager axe after less than a month following European defeat.

The Australian coach is yet to taste a win, making him the first Forest head coach in a century to be unable to win any of their opening half-dozen games. There was a toxic mood at the City Ground on Thursday night as they succumbed to the second-best team in the Danish league. When supporters are demanding your sacking after 23 days, it is reasonable to say the situation are not progressing smoothly. On the next day there were no intentions to dismiss Postecoglou but a defeat at Newcastle on Sunday could cost him his position.

All those at the club accepted there would be a phase of change because the Australian’s style of play is virtually a complete contrast to the one Nuno carefully developed there. The plan was developing under the Portuguese but not at the speed the new boss is attempting to implement.

Beginning with four away games was always going to be a tough ask for Postecoglou. Kicking off at Arsenal meant building momentum from the outset was improbable but suffering a defeat at a Championship team in the domestic cup and drawing at Burnley put Postecoglou on the back foot. The match at a Spanish club appeared to be a turning point because the showing was impressive and fitting with expectations regarding the manager’s style. The methods were sound and, if not for a late Antony goal, success would have begun.

Instead Forest are still stuck. If the coach could have been forgiven for the performances on the road, falling at home to Sunderland and a European side was not part of the plan. There was a degree of explanation in the first City Ground defeat: a generous set-piece award that resulted in the winner and appalling finishing from Forest meant the result went away to the north-east. Forest had almost the majority of the ball and multiple attempts but outscoring an rival on expected goals is meaningless.

Ange Postecoglou and a key player will aim to reverse Nottingham Forest’s fortunes around at the next venue on the upcoming matchday.

There was a belief that when the forwards found their scoring touch, everything would be fine but ineffective conversion is only one of the problems confronting Postecoglou. The solid defensive unit constructed by the previous manager has been taken apart, leaving him still waiting for a shutout. Stopping dead-ball situations has been problematic, a pair of Midtjylland’s goals originating from them, and the remaining goal Forest conceded was from a fast break, the type that were a regular feature during his time at his former club.

The coach was keen to get back to work quickly after being dismissed by his previous employers, particularly with a Europa League winner’s medal around his neck. He aimed to prove critics wrong and Forest offered that opportunity, with the added bonus of being in the competition he had won in May. The Hellenic connection with Forest’s proprietor, Evangelos Marinakis, facilitated make the hiring straightforward and the manager, despite his detractors, possesses the credentials required – but pragmatism was unlikely to be part of the equation.

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The former manager was never fired for football causes but for picking a fight with Marinakis that he was not going to win. Ending up in seventh place and guiding Forest into Europe made Nuno extremely popular. Despite his complaints, a team capable of finishing in the upper section was assembled and a lot of funds was spent. After far too much short-termism at Forest, they had a defined future plan and strategy, which featured a team that suited the previous boss. Now it seems as if a stepdad has entered the home and the children are not happy.

Trips to Newcastle and Bournemouth frame the home game of Chelsea in the upcoming trio of league fixtures, suggesting life is only going to get more difficult. The owner made the appointment with his emotions and is urgently hoping to avoid another sacking because removing Postecoglou would be an acknowledgment that he made a pair of dreadful choices in dismissing Nuno and choosing the replacement. The sport is one big public approval competition and Nuno started gaining his at St James’ Park. The current manager needs to emulate that or he risks forfeiting his permanently.